October 12, 2026 |
Elusive London duo Two Shell are back with their most ambitious record yet. Out October 16 via Young, Infinite Now is a ten-track exploration of technology, pop music and the increasingly blurry line between human and machine, arriving a year after 2025’s IIcons. Blending euphoric synths with the pace and power of dubby dance music, its lead single The Nightmare acts as sugar-sweet amuse-bouche to a record that is set to leave fans wholly satisfied. “The nightmare is what we’re all living in,” say the pair of the track’s title and inspirations, pointing to algorithms pulling people apart, unchecked AI and a warming world. “The song’s about trying to find a positive space within it.”
Never ones to do things by halves, they’ve paired the album with Infinite Now+, an “unlimited hits compilation” of 51 tracks that they may keep adding to or taking away from. It keeps fans on their toes, but that, of course, is very on brand. Since launching as a duo in 2019, Two Shell have stayed completely anonymous, wearing masks on stage and sending body doubles to talk to journalists who hope to catch a glimpse of the mythological musicians. Only recently did they conduct their first interview, appearing as themselves (albeit masked up), to speak to Resident Advisor for an online feature. This move, alongside the new music, marks a new chapter for Two Shell – one coded by a desire to increase connection between them and their community. Ahead of the LP’s release, we caught up with Two Shell to hear more about the album, the highs and lows of working as a duo, artificial vocals and life behind the mask.
1. How would you describe Infinite Now in 3 words?
Music, present, forever.
2. Why the name Infinite Now?
Loads of reasons for that one, it feels like we’re in an era of infinite media and infinite creativity. So much is being made.
3. What’s the best thing about working in a duo when producing an album?
Yeah having two of us definitely helped with the process. Partly because of its giant nature, we would have just got lost in the infinite sauce. If we weren’t able to balance it, we’d probably still be working on it going super loco. It took a lot of time to fully come together, maybe 1.5 years. Having two of us helped to keep it all rolling when the energy dipped. It was initially visualised in our heads as being an even larger body of music… like a wall of music.
We eventually sieved that down into ten classic tracks and Infinite Now+, which is basically an unlimited hits compilation (51 exactly but that felt like enough for now…). We might keep adding them or taking them away. Long story short without two of us we’d of prob never finished it – infinite possibilities.
4. What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen from behind the decks?
A few years ago, Ghostphone played at a show we had at Venue MOT, and someone held a sign up to him saying you couldn’t wipe Two Shell’s arse. At the time, we took it as a bit of a sign the lads had taken over and it freaked us out a bit but looking back on it now, there’s a beauty and poetry in it >ᴗ<.
5. Where’s the best place to listen to Infinite Now for the first time?
Oh, that’s an easy one – Outernet on Nov 7. This is gonna be like the ultimate presentation of the Infinite Now world, with Weirdcore‘s visuals making it all go crazy on giant screens. We’ve got Samuelspaniel and Bugasmurf playing too and a few other funky extras. It’s also only show in London until next year now, so we want to make sure that everybody there fully feels the music!!
6. Why did you want to include artificial vocals in the new album?
To be honest, we’ve always made music with a mix of artificial, recorded and sampled vocals, so for us, it’s just a small step in a sonic direction we’ve always taken. We see it like using the technology to explore certain questions. Like, what does it mean to be human? Who decides whether something is artificial or real? Should music be owned? Does expression require effort and labour, or is it more about whether it is genuinely felt?
This album is us trying to confront those questions. We’re not going into bat for either side, more like trying to observe. Even just for the sake of documenting a moment in time… It’s all a bit of an experiment but one that feels very tied to the moment we’re in…which is a crazy one lol…but it’s ours lol.
7. What’s the best thing about being anonymous?
It definitely adds a bit of magic and makes it feel like it’s more about the spirit than the image. It also feels like it adds durability to it too, like other people could take it over in the future, and that could be cool? Or like more people could join. And it removes a kind of ego from it for us.
8. Does it ever get hot under the masks?
The masks are actually pretty chill… It’s the drip that gets so hot and intense. But you know… you have to make sacrifices in life.
9. What’s on your rider?
It’s always changing to be honest. Last year we had these two office light panels made by a dude called Tekh Balance who does a lot of stuff for the club Fold… he did a crazy job.
And then backstage straws for the masks, chewing gum for us and anyone that might need it.. (>ᴗ•) !, some fruit and tequila… boujee as possible hehe. We usually bring our little JBL speaker with us too for some energy before and after. And a full body mirror.
10. What do you think this new chapter holds in store for Two Shell?
That’s a cool question. We’re gonna be making stuff more sound system focused I reckon 🫡.
Photography courtesy of Two Shell.
