Carmen and Camille

The most raw, energetic and unique talent usually comes from those who are born with it. Such is the case for twins Carmen and Camille Thomas whose blend of pop, rock and roots music has critics raving and audiences screaming over their debut album Two.

Two combines energetic power pop ballads and elements of indie rock reminiscent of a young Tegan and Sara. But, don't be mistaken, this is no ordinary bubble gum pop combo - their soaring vocal harmonies, paired with Camille's raucous electric guitar riffs and Carmen's symphonic flute playing makes for an album rooted in rock but drawing influences from genres across the board.

Finding their unique sound didn't just happen overnight. Having grown up in White Rock, BC, Canada, the twins have been playing music together since they were 5 years old dabbling in everything from musical theatre to electronica industrial music.

"Growing up we listened to whatever we could get our hands on," says Carmen. "We loved Led Zeppelin, Heart, U2....Whitesnake. Who didn't rock out to 'Here I Go Again on My Own?' Those bands make up for a lot of our rock influence."

After high school, the girls went on to study at two separate universities- Carmen attended school for broadcast journalism, and Camille went to school for fashion - but their need to play music was still deeply embedded in both of them. Eventually, Camille began honing her song writing skills, eventually dropping out of fashion school entirely to attend a jazz - vocal program where she studied music theory, basic piano and composition.

"I just knew this was it for me," says Camille. "I had to play music and I missed collaborating with my sister. We just always had something so electric and positive - I really wanted to see where we could go with it professionally."

Camille convinced Carmen - who at the time was gaining recognition as the host of a local sports-news television show "Sport of Kings"-to take a break and vacation with her to Thailand and Australia in an effort for the girls to be able to spend more time together. The trip was instantly a life changing journey.

"It had been awhile since we had really connected; I thought what better way to get reconnected than to travel together," says Carmen, while Camille adds, "It really opened our eyes to what an amazing creative bond we have together."

After an incredible journey, the girls returned back to Canada fueled with imaginative enthusiasm and the desire to write it all down. They immediately began to collaborate on new songs fueled by their experiences abroad and started recording the material even receiving a grant from the government to fund a demo tape - the beginning stages of what would become their debut album Two.

With their new songs freshly penned, Carmen and Camille formed a band and began playing rooms in Vancouver and surrounding areas such as The Arts Club, The Purple Onion, Crush, The Drink, and The Roxy. They also began traveling to Los Angeles working with writers and performing.

Soon the duo was noticed by Horatio and Jackie Kemeny who spotted the girls at an outdoor concert and fell in love with their music. With their support and backing, indie label TwinSpin Music was born and plans to record their debut full length album began. Thus Two was born.

"Two runs the gamut of emotions," says Camille. "It's everything from serious to fun to quirky. We really looked up to people like Sheryl Crow, No Doubt and Avril Lavinge to give it that rock, pop and punk edge."

The album starts off with the high energetic riffs and licks of "Lose My Voice,"- an anthem about struggling to be recognized -written during one of Carmen and Camille's formative trips to Los Angeles.

"We were in LA to do writing and nothing was coming of it," says Carmen. "It was our first time in LA and we found ourselves overwhelmed. The city is filled with people wanting to be heard and be in the spot light. We were in our hotel room and came up with the chorus and went from there. As the song evolved it became almost a metaphor for our lives as up and coming musicians and highlights the power that words have."

Another highlight on the album is "To Believe" a slow, power rock ballad tickled with haunting vocal harmonies and laced with a soft bed of piano.

"This was one of the first songs we wrote," says Camille. "I began writing it in music school as a school project and it was finished later on when we went to record our album. 'To Believe' was written about hope - something that one needs in relationships, as a musician and in life. At the time, I had been leaving a relationship and it was a way to reaffirm to myself that I will get through this."

The more politically conscious "Breaking Down" calls attention to the girls' poignant skills as song writers observing the world around them.

Recalling the inspiration of the song Carmen says, "We wanted to write about an experience we had had in Vancouver. We went to give a homeless man money on the street and a woman came up and started yelling at us to stop. She said we were making the 'problem' worse. It said a lot about the mentality of so many people, and from there we started looking at the state of the world and how we felt about humanity as a whole."

Since the completion of Two the girl's are busier than ever. From playing the 2007 SXSW Music Festival, to touring Eastern Europe while gracing the covers of European magazines, to being featured stateside in Stuff Magazine, Billboard and MTV.

"Music is in our blood and always will be," says Camille. "People often seem surprised that we spend our free time writing songs together in our living room, but we do because music is our lifeline. It connects us as sisters, it connects us to people all around the world....it's where we truly feel comfortable at expressing everything life has to offer and more."