Rating: 9/10

Friday, Aug. 30 marked the release of Duster’s surprise album “In Dreams,” followed by their upcoming North America tour announcement. 

Since the release of their singles “Anhedonia II” and “Ecstasy Cowgirl” earlier this year, the rock band shocked fans with a third album release within just six years of reuniting as a band.

Due to minimal success in achieving their breakthrough moment because of their attachment to the 90’s slowcore movement, Duster broke up in 2001 shortly after the release of their second studio album. 

After years of being split, 2018 marked the year that Duster would return to the music industry. The band has since released three full studio albums alongside the two albums released before their break up.

Known for their slowcore and experimental sound, “In Dreams” expands their notable sound with melancholic and mysterious instrumental elements that evoke a dreamlike experience.

Throughout the album, the classic distortion, reverb and feedback sounds known to slowcore and shoegaze appear, keeping Duster close to their roots.

The combination of feedback and slowness with an element of delay leads to an ethereal sensation that makes the album sound dreamy.

Duster finds an approachable balance between the soothingness of their sound while still presenting their music in somber tones. 

The album’s opening track “Quiet Eyes” draws in listeners with a steady and simple blend of instrumental ease that fits right with lead vocalist Clay Parton’s soft vocals.

The initial impression of the album is light, making one think that the remainder of the album will be taking that route in its entirety — but that is not the case.

Already drawn in by the album’s mellow introduction, the darker lyricism, song titles and instrumentalism keep listeners tuned in as the album progresses.

Tracks three and four, “No Feel” and “Starting to Fall,” both are a true taste of the general portrayal of the album’s lulling yet murky sound and feel after getting a first look at the opening tracks.

A combination of fuzzy guitar riffs, muddy bass lines and distant vocals in tracks three and four build the foundation of “In Dreams” and what the rest of the album will sound like.

With the blend of different musical styles, one more delicate and one more gloomy, this album sets Duster apart from their more recent grounded indie sound making it a step forward for the band.

Although tracks three and four bring the mood down with its heaviness, tracks six and seven take a quick pause from the slumber and remind the audience that “In Dreams” can still help you take a breather with its welcoming and melodic guitar riffs. 

Furthering along into the album, there is a noticeable juxtaposition of the lyrics and the musical aspect of the album that establishes this feeling of hopelessness and hopefulness at once. 

Their eighth track, “Black Lace,” sets the scene for this juxtaposition with the light keyboard and touches of high pitches.

“These bones/ Dead stones/ In discomposure/ My frames unchanged/ They don’t know closure,” Parton sings in the opening verse.

The lyrics are filled with themes resonating with day-to-day thoughts and questions influenced by lived experiences. 

Despite characteristics that make Duster the band they are, “In Dreams” tests different moods with different sounds but does so while maintaining anticlimactic pacing in the songs.

However, the tracks can grow to become repetitive and indistinguishable because of the very similar pacing.

Duster’s latest release highlights a more advanced level of experimentation where new fans are introduced to a modern version of Duster and old fans are reintroduced to a familiar friend.  

Their 2024 release aligns with the loved and admired sound that defines and characterizes Duster as that band people recognize.

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