Twink, the Toy Piano Band! Twink, the Toy Piano Band!

Review of Dust Bunny from Anthem

Described as a musical mad scientist, Boston's Mike Langlie adopted his Twink moniker after finding an old toy piano in a thrift store. From then on his music project quickly took shape and blossomed into a cacophony of bells, chimes, xylophones, synths, and rusted toy textures. Release after release followed, with Langlie solidifying his own unique sound with each new chapter, and now with his new record Dust Bunny surfacing, it's time to celebrate Twink the artist.

Born out of a long winter and historic blizzard that buried the land as well as moods, Dust Bunny was purpose built to lift spirits. Warm synths flow and create bristling textures of Spring, clashing with the chilled, mechanical chimes of toy xylophones, creating a magical contrast between both sounds and seasons.

From simple beginnings spring elaborate melodies that capture seasonal cycles perfectly, and through the combination of vintage tones and modern synths, Langlie has created magic. It's hard to move past the likes of 'Hem & Haw', 'Emberglow', and 'Pipper Snitch', whose whimsical sound and infinitely enjoyable. Elsewhere on 'Dust Bunny' more mature, even melancholic sounds arise, giving a greater sense of definition to a joyously fragmented vision.

Unique to say the least, Langlie's work as Twink has always made all the more enjoyable by the warm, nostalgic notes that spring from his toy instruments, but with Dust Bunny the fun has been joined by equally wondrous composition. A brilliant contribution to an already distinct back catalogue, Dust Bunny is an album for all seasons, and arguably, it's Langlie's best work yet.

Rating: 8 out of 10

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