Sometimes, you just need to scream, to let out the hurt and negativity that has built up inside you for too long. In music, it’s an opportunity to cut away any layers or metaphors and just state what you mean as intensely as possible. On “Twisted,” Johanna Warren sets fire to her pain, letting it engulf her throughout the song, a necessary purging for her to move forward.
On past albums, while there were moments of darkness and Warren always performed passionately, the music and vocals remained gentle and folksy. The tracks were built on melodies that you could float away on, like relaxing in a lake. “Twisted” is the sound of thrashing and drowning. It slowly builds with tense grunge chords, climaxing as she screams out “I give up/I gave it my all,” her frustration boiling over into a nearly inhuman scream of agony. It’s a gut-punch of a song, one that will leave you winded but also wanting to listen again.
“Twisted” can found on Chaotic Good, out now via Wax Nine/Carpark Records.