Next Wave #686: All Tvvins

Evocative synth pop from Dublin...

Irish duo Lar Kaye and Conor Adams are galaxies away from their days in indie outfits The Cast Of Cheers and Adebisi Shank. Known now to the Internet- obsessed generation as All Tvvins, their current set-up (Lar on guitars, Conor on vocals) sees them producing a slew of synth-led, pop-friendly tunes, and even doing the odd Justin Bieber cover – something they probably never would’ve done during their ‘keepin’ it real’ days.

“I’m not a snob anymore,” Conor admits freely over the phone. The pair still live in Ireland, with no big move to London, NYC or LA in the pipeline, despite their newfound success. “We have our own studio here, and we’re in London all the time,” he says. Despite acquiring over a million streams on Spotify, cultivating their YouTube presence with sleek and chic music videos, and being signed to Warner – which is the real kicker in itself – they’re still just a couple of young lads from Ireland.

Their social media presence consists of jam session clips, while their Soundcloud includes an Alex Metric remix of their latest track, ‘Darkest Ocean’. Could this be thanks to their major label links? “We’re evolving,” Conor stresses. One of the plus points for being under the major label umbrella is not having to worry about who’s footing the bill. “It’s good to not worry about studio time,” he nods.

Well, according to some of the greatest in music – look at Prince, for example – there’s sometimes a catch. But All Tvvins are one of the hardest working musicians out right now. Rather than lapping it up with the cool kids, they’ve got over 100 untouched songs stashed away and are constantly working on new material. Needless to say, if shit ever hits the fan, they’ll find a way to capitalise on their major label support.

There’s a new All Tvvins album on the way (“we’re just finishing the artwork”), a busy European tour schedule, and they’ll be playing at Longitude festival this summer, where some of the finest, including Kendrick Lamar, are headlining. For Lar Kaye and Conor Adams, evolution is a beautiful thing.

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WHERE: Dublin
WHAT: Synth-led indie pop with anthemic vocal lines
GET 3 SONGS: ‘Darkest Ocean’, ‘Thank You’, ‘Too Young To Live’

FACT: Debbie Harry came to one of their shows, providing a surreal moment for the duo.

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Words: Safra Ducreay
Photography: Samuel Bradley

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