Only Twin, the solo project of Seattled-bred, Los Angeles-based Thomas Dutton (formerly of the indie-emo band Forgive Durden on Fueled by Ramen and synth-pop group Caridknox on Warner) releases his exciting sophomore album, It Feels Nice to Burn. Now, he shares another glimpse of the album with the incredible and uniquely conceptual video for “Give You Up,” featuring the exceptional Julianne Hough.
Directed by Josh Martin & Ryan McNeeley (The Director Brothers), the video paints a mesmerizing love story between human and robot. Enhanced by Julianne Hough’s jaw-dropping choreography, she brings this tale to life, portraying a forbidden romance with a Xerox machine.
On the video, Dutton shares, “The inspiration for the video started from seeing those Uber Eats delivery robots trying to navigate a busy sidewalk and feeling bad for the little guys. My good friend Josh Martin (director) and I started talking about an idea of some kind of love story between human and robot/machine. We ended up with a dancing Xerox machine and the absolutely incredible Julianne Hough, who was kind enough, and game enough, to tackle this weird idea with absolute sincerity.”
It Feels Nice to Burn continues the exploration of love, rebirth, and new beginnings found on Dutton’s debut album, Rare Works (2021). On It Feels Nice to Burn, Dutton re-discovers the music that makes him feel most whole. Sonically finding the sweet spot between left-of-center indie pop and dreamy rock, the album marks his next chapter — one that sees him embrace fatherhood and a love of a lifetime. While the album sounds like domestic bliss, it seeks out the moments of tension that give even the most idyllic love stories stakes. The album’s title has a double meaning: on one hand, it’s a nod to “burning everything to the ground and starting over again;” on the other, it “feels nice to burn for someone new.”
