With their perfectly polished harmonies and smiling dispositions, Lizzy and Catherine Ward Thomas aren’t going to do much to dispel the myth of telepathic twindom. Hailing from the Hampshire village of Liss rather than a rural corner of the US, the 22-year-olds were first introduced to country music by a Canadian cousin. Despite being independently released, their self-released debut album hit No 1 on the UK country charts in 2014, leading to this, their first major label offering. Like their idol Taylor Swift, the pair have now moved from out-and-out country to a more mainstream sound: ode to friendship Carry You Home retains their trademark two-part vocals and twangy chords, but ups the BPM to a frenetically dancey pace, while the recently discovered millennial whoop beloved of everyone from Carly Rae Jepsen to Frank Ocean features on Guilty Flowers and Boomerang; Ward Thomas are certainly not operating in a cowboy-booted, leather-vested vacuum. The overall effect is a technically proficient slice of modern country-pop, but one that is unlikely to have T-Swift losing much sleep.
