Justice Tripp, vocalist / guitarist for Baltimore, Maryland’s Angel Du$t, has never been one for making rock albums, at least not in the traditional sense. For Tripp, an album is not a singular, rigidly defined work, but rather an ever-evolving experience, a grab bag of creative tricks and treats that’s enjoyable whether its contents are savored individually or all at once. “People get really married to the idea of making a record that sounds like the same band,” Tripp explains. “If one song to the next doesn’t sound like it’s coming from the same band, I’m ok with that.” This spirit of creative restlessness, reinforced through a staunch work ethic and a revered live show, has fueled Angel Du$t’s steady ascent over the past eight years. The way Tripp sees it, Angel Du$t are neither hardcore nor a supergroup: just a revolving lineup of like-minded peers and ride-or-die friends, making guitar music, rocking the fuck on forever. YAK: A Collection of Truck Songs, Angel Du$t’s latest full-length and the follow-up to 2019’sPretty Buff, sees the group channeling an anything-goes philosophy into their tightest, most forward-thinking material yet. Produced by Rob Schnapf and recorded over a two-month period in Los Angeles in 2020, it’s a rotating smorgasbord of percussion, guitar tones, effects, genres, and influences, fashioned in the spirit of a playlist as opposed to a capital-R “Record.” Like every great playlist—and Tripp makes alotof playlists—it’s a carefully-engineered project that still manages to sound effortless, with brisk pacing and constant switch-ups that keep the spirit of discovery at the forefront.
https://www.angeldustmoney.com/
Forming in South Florida with the intention to record an EP and play one show, Gouge Away were driven by the need to write music they weren’t hearing in their local scene. A couple years later, they put out “, Dies” on local label, Eighty-Sixed Records, which they didn't expect to reach beyond their hometown. After some touring, they released “Burnt Sugar” on Deathwish Inc. which took a more personal approach when Christina Michelle was dealing with her mom’s heart complications. Following the release of the album, they toured throughout the US and beyond, sharing the stage with bands like Drug Church, Ceremony, Touche Amore, Paint it Black, Soul Glo, and many others.
While on tour and in their small pockets of downtime, they demoed songs for a third album, pulling influence not only from the nostalgia of the bands they grew up listening to, but developing and pushing the sense of urgency, noise, and introspective lyrics they felt most represented them.
Touring came to a halt in 2020, canceling a full year of plans in an instant. Gouge Away took time to focus on their personal lives. On New Years Eve just beginning 2022, they decided it was time to revisit their demoed material.
They recorded with Jack Shirley at Atomic Garden East in March 2023, completely analog to tape and almost entirely live. The goal was to sound like five friends playing music in a room together, unpolished and far from being over-produced, which is what the heart of Gouge Away has always been.
https://www.gougeaway.com/
https://teenagewrist.com/
