Ohyeahsumi ‘Daisy’

Olivia here. Like many people, identical twins fascinate me – and that’s not supposed to sound as patronising or gawkerish as I’m sure it does to any twins reading this. I guess there’s a lot of mystery surrounding the psychology of being a twin, which could probably be linked to the superstition relating to them in ancient mythology; the idea that one twin represents the shadow or evil spirit of the self, or the contrast between human and the ‘divine’. Twins have also been used to represent the duality of the universe; good/bad, light/dark, Apollo and Artemis as the sun and the moon in Greek mythology, and to the Dogon of Mali, they represent ‘wholeness and perfection’. Whatever significance twins have within a culture’s mythology and spirituality, they are usually assigned a connection with the supernatural, which pervades into today with news stories about twin telepathy and secret languages. Whilst many twins will attest to the strong emotional bond they share, many others do not find they are in any way more in tune with their twin than say, a non-identical sibling, meaning that the idea of twin telepathy, whilst intriguing, does not have much scientific basis. Hard to believe, when you listen to the beautifully crafted music of Rena and Lena Vernon, who together perform as Ohyeahsumi. Their latest release ‘Daisy‘ is a brooding pop track, obscured by layers of foggy reverb and moody intuitive guitar playing. Vocals are sung in breathy, gauzy unison, initially obscuring the dark nature of the lyrics within the calmness of sound world;  ‘Scared of being pretty/room is dirty, mind is filthy/my dress curves clearly at the waist’.  A masterclass in restrained songwriting, the simple structure allows the lyrics to expand into the void and beyond. Perfect listening for night time walks and quiet self reflection.