Together

Duster

• Genre: Rock
• Release Date: 2022-04-01
• Explicitness: notExplicit
• Country: USA
• Track Count: 13
• ℗ 2022 Numero Group

It’s been a long and exciting journey, and American band Duster is pretty much still “Together” — or so they affirm in their latest rock compilation.

Founded in San Jose, California, Duster, which comprises Clay Parton, Canaan Dove Amber, and Jason Albertini, has been active since the 1990s.

The group’s influence might not be as solid as it was in the 1990s and 2000s, but they at least still make good music — music that the rock and indie crowds would love to hear over and over.

Members of the group had previously performed as part of a collective called Mohinder and released two albums under a stage name different from the one they currently bear.

The changes notwithstanding, the group has remained a united force and only too happy to take the rock message to those who would listen. “Together” is as much an affirmation of their unity as it is of their staying power. There’s much to say about the project and much to like. So join us as we walk into the orbit “Together.”

Songs

This compilation bears 13 tracks, beginning with the aptly titled “New Directions” and ending with “Sad Boys.” Between those are songs like “Retrograde,” “N,” “Time Glitch,” “Teeth,” “Escalator,” “Familiar Fields,” “Moonroam,” “Sleepy Head,” “Making Room,” “Drifter,” and “Feeling no Joy.”

Tracklist

	Title	Time
1	New Directions	3:17
2	Retrograde	4:22
3	N	3:01
4	Time Glitch	3:54
5	Teeth	4:30
6	Escalator	3:59
7	Familiar Fields	5:12
8	Moonroam	1:27
9	Sleepyhead	2:57
10	Making Room	3:46
11	Drifter	3:58
12	Feel No Joy	3:57
13	Sad Boys	3:28

Artwork

Musicians usually embed messages in their lyrics and the cover art of their projects. Did Duster follow the same route here?

In a post on Instagram, the rock collective had shared the cover art of their latest album, which bears neither the band’s name nor even the project’s title.

The artwork appears to show a room with a white sofa and a table in the middle of it. On the table is an ashtray, a cigarette stub within. Hanging on the corner of the tray appears to be a rolled blunt (unsmoked). A plastic cup had fallen on its side on the same table.

That’s about it — the champs are still “Together” and enjoying every minute of it. Wild.

Features

When most groups release albums, they make it a point not to co-opt other artists. Many reasons might be adduced for this. The first is self-sufficiency. The other might be the reluctance to “crowd out” a song with features.

Whatever might be the case, Duster was happy to release their latest project without any features. This is no reason to quarrel with their decision, though.

Key Songs

Some decent numbers glittered in this compilation, and it’s hard not to love them. They energise, speak to your experience, and make you return to them repeatedly.

Count the first track in the compilation, “New Directions,” as one such number. There is so much life embedded in that song that even depressed folk can draw a fish out of the song’s dust. Not bad.

Another song that resonates with us from this compilation is “Time Glitch.” It’s not exactly a pontification on time, though.

Message

Several messages are embedded in this compilation, from hope to despair to growth and a search for meaning. In all, there’s a fine thread connecting the messages of this body of work. So, why not?

Summing Up

With “Together,” Duster has given the world a fine rock offering that will easily resonate with the rock crowd out here.

While this isn’t the first compilation from the group, it should easily take a spot among their most memorable to date.

The compilation plays for precisely 48 minutes. In that time, though, the rock buff wouldn’t have experienced about a dozen eternities. Who wouldn’t want that?

Stream