This year, the role of art and imagination seem particularly imperative. Music and escapism often go hand-in-hand, and new artist [Twiin Lake](https://www.twiinlake.com) is no exception. But when it comes to the release of their debut concept album, _Children of the Lost Sun_, there’s nothing traditional about it. Being both a record and post-apocalyptic photo book, Twiin Lake’s debut comes in the form of an auditory and visual fiction about humankind’s search for a new planet.
The instant the music strikes, it’s clear [Asher Moss](https://www.instagram.com/ashermossofficial/) and [Jason Morant](https://www.jasonalanmorant.com/), collaborators of Twiin Lake, have a deep enthusiasm for sci-fi films and analog synthesizers. They first conceived Twiin Lake’s eclectic “spacegaze” sound in the solitude of the desert in 2016.
Writing and recording spanned from coast-to-coast as “Children of the Lost Sun” evolved over years and found its futuristic identity. Moss and Morant tracked gritty guitars and swirling arpeggios as sci-fi films, like _Dune_ and _The Last Starfighter_, played silently in the background. Incorporating recordings from the NASA archives, each track is layered with a concentrated sonic identity. The music draws listeners into the atmospheric tones of a future past and creates an out of this world listening experience. Combining Moss’ two loves, music and photography, _Children of the Lost Sun_ can be best described as the soundtrack to the end of the world—or better yet, a soundtrack to a film that hasn’t yet been created.
But not everything is left to the imagination. Moss—also a renowned visual artist and director—created the dystopian photo book in tandem with the album. The photo book, with built-in record sleeve, tells a cinematic story of humans searching for a new planet to sustain life since their home planet—the one they loved but destroyed—is now gone.
The parallels between this narrative and the current climate crisis our world faces are haunting. The music swells and quiets, and what’s left behind in the listener’s mind is a ghostly premonition. Much of this project carries a massive weight of loss—loss of both life and a beloved planet.
Speaking exclusively on the release, Asher states, “It’s been exactly 5 years since my first book, _Miss Lonely,_ which was rooted deeply in naturalness. For the second book, I quite literally wanted to create another world. _Children of the Lost Sun_ to me is the pendulum swinging in the other direction. Given the times we are living in, the ominous last four years of the US government, and the growing threat of climate change it was my way of processing it. What this pandemic gave me was the time to finish a body of work both musically and visually I have been building for years”.
There’s no denying—Twiin Lake has created a brilliant piece of art, and this unique, interstellar experience of sound and visuals couldn’t come at a better time in history. It’s worth noting, the album is best listened to from start to finish, as there are no song breaks, only an instrumental intermission in the middle. So, just lie back and enjoy the journey.
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