Introducing: Oslo Twins

Despite the intriguing name, Bristol’s Oslo Twins are in fact a quartet. Eric and Claudia from the band gave us the inside story of the genesis for the 4AD meets Bristol beats sound of their debut single The Edge.

First up, could you tell us a bit about the Oslo Twins?

Claudia: We met at Bristol University in a philosophy seminar in 2019. I think it was Aristotle, and we’re not really into Aristotle so we ended up chatting about music. In the past year we’ve been collaborating with Ali Chant (Perfume Genius, PJ Harvey), and Seth Evans (HMLTD, black midi), who produced The Edge with us.

Eric: Our sound is dream pop/trip-hop/chillwave. It’s melodic and melancholic but also subtly influenced by dance, industrial and lo-fi music of the 80s and 90s. But our melodies are pop melodies – we always like to have a hook.

What inspires you to write?

Claudia: Feeling something that I haven’t completely articulated. It usually starts with words, and then a phrase begins to sing inside my head, and I imagine the other musical parts. Some of my lyrics are adapted from poems I’ve written, some inspired by books and films. For me, every lyrical phrase comes with a mental image.

Eric: I think I’m quite situational in the way I write. I definitely take inspiration from people around me and things I’ve experienced. I find it meditative and therapeutic making beats and experimenting with different textures of sound.

Do you have specific roles within the band when it comes to writing music?

Eric: The songs often start out as self-produced Logic demos, which we make together. I often take more of the production and beat making role and Claudia does the lyrics and melodies, but this process varies from track to track.

Claudia: When we show Will and Luke the demos, the sound tends to evolve from there as we play it live together.

Who has had the most influence on your sound?

Eric: For me I think it’s a mixture of new wave bands from the 80s (particularly the postcard / fast product labels), combined with the Bristol Sound of the 90s. I love Maxinque by Tricky, I think it’s a masterpiece.

What’s your most memorable live experience either as a band or audience member?

Eric: I wish we had more live experience together to choose from. Sadly the ‘rona came along soon after our first gig. With that said, I’ll never forget that night – we’d been bent over our laptops and instruments for so long, and then suddenly there was this crowd cheering and the band felt real.

What was the last album or song you listened to?

Claudia: serpentwithfeet’s album DEACON.

Eric: The City by Jockstrap.

If you could support anyone, who would it be and why?

Claudia: I’d support a lyre player from 187 BC and then the audience would be really baffled by us and worship us. (I like this answer a lot! Mark)

What other Bristol bands do we need to be checking out right now?

Eric: Pet Shimmers, Robbie and Mona, Bingo Fury and Katy J Pearson.

Could you tell us something about your debut single, The Edge?

Claudia: It’s one of our darker tracks, with a punchy, new-wave sound. It sounds like it’s about sex but it’s not. It comes from a place of frustration, restless curiosity and longing for excitement.

Give us a few hints on what’s in store next for Oslo Twins…

Eric: We’re going to keep gigging, recording and putting out singles for the rest of the year. Hopefully we’ll start working towards an album in the distant future. There are definitely exciting times ahead for the band, so watch this space!

To keep up with new releases and upcoming live dates by Oslo Twins, give them some social media love on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can purchase The Edge on Bandcamp.

Oslo Twins are: Eric Davies on guitar and synths (he/him), Claudia Vulliamy on vocals (she/her), Luke Brown on drums (he/him), and Will Snelling on guitar and synths (he/him).