Duster crushed it with new album "Crusher"

Among many others, I woke up to a post Friday morning announcing a surprise album by Sooj, a collaboration between artists Duster and Dirty Art Club. The album is called “Crusher,” and it sounds different than any other Duster side project I've heard before. 

Usually, Duster side projects don’t align with their main projects as one might expect. To name a few, “Birds in the Ground” by Eiafuawn is faster and has considerably less spacey textures, and Mohinder’s self-titled EP is a different genre altogether. The only side project that sounds in line with their main work is Valium Aggelein, and that band was literally them under a different name. 

“Crusher,” however, is very much in line with their main work. I would consider it to be in adjacent neighborhoods, even. I have no idea what the work of Dirty Art Club sounds like, but this album has Duster all over it. 

The album is slow and silky smooth throughout. A lot of sounds in the album feel like the spaciness of Duster morphed into a midcentury modern aesthetic. The beginning song “Vers le Couloir de la Perte” sets the scene beautifully with the guitar tones separated yet controlled. The sounds are gorgeous here, like the culmination of a very light pink and orange color. The chirps at the end of each guitar strum add a nice touch, whether that was a conscious choice or not.  

The next song “In the Walls” is the moment I realized the album would take a calming tone. The cymbals providing a nice background texture while the guitars eased through was a great experience, and the vocals felt quiet and familiar as well.  

After that, “Night Layers” does a good job of living up to its name. The guitar here feels as crisp as a nice breeze in the middle of the night. Each strum lingers like the slight chill you feel on your skin, and it’s a great opportunity to breathe in and look at the cloudy night sky.

The drums on this song act as an anchoring point for the guitar, keeping steady and offering an odd sense of comfort to the listener. 

“Double Clutch” is a big highlight on the album, sounding fuzzier than other songs on the album before segueing into a beautiful little outro. The outro especially feels like a retreat from chaos around the corner, like hiding in a closet during a particularly noisy party. The fuzz brings relief and makes the ushering into the calm an easier transition. The chiming closest to the end makes me happy, finally setting in that I have that fortress of solitude, if you will. 

“Fleece” and “3,100 Luigis” both sound like lazing around the beach. “Fleece” shows Sooj’s confidence in its tendency to bring in soft static to the background of some of their songs, except this time it sounds like they were really playing by the beach. The effect sounds like the calm splash of waves hitting the shore. While the static is noticeable, it doesn’t overpower the music, making the song another relaxing experience for the listener. “3,100 Luigis” sounds like you’re floating on top of the water, sometimes dipping your ears in to hear what it sounds like under the surface.  

Sooj continues the aquatic vibe with “Unfold Me,” having the smooth guitar fluctuate like small waves generated by splashing the water, but the vibe switches to land with “Lavender.” “Lavender” is such a happy song, sounding like how it feels outside during the middle of the day on the coast. You can hear an uplifting tone throughout the song on the guitar especially, contrasting the many sadder moments the members of Duster are known for.  

“Gallo Pinto” retains the subtle static of “Fleece” while making it sound more explicitly like tape hiss. The hiss adds a nice backdrop to the song as well as pairing well with the more obvious digital drums featured on the track. 

The album ends on a pretty note with “Moonbag.” The song lives up to its name, reminding me of a night when the clouds clear out of the way to make the moon visible in the sky. The cloudy vocals and clear guitar accentuate this effect and create a surprisingly cool pairing. 

I would recommend this album to fans of “Victorialand” by Cocteau Twins and other Duster albums. Unlike these, however, “Crusher” is not somber or sad in tone but instead finds happiness in those silky, smooth guitar lines.