Space, time, and genre are no match for Dust City Opera, who successfully defy expectations in their cinematic yet grounded new EP, Cold Hands, due out March 7th.
With influences like Radiohead and Alt-J, Dust City Opera takes listeners on a journey through poignant storytelling, powerhouse vocals, and pristine guitar tones. Cold Hands makes versatile pit stops everywhere from psychedelic sci-fi-esque instrumentation, to folk rock melodies, to straight ahead rock n’ roll guitar riffs, creating a unique sonic amalgam.
The 6-track album opens with the melodic, accordion-led Americana track “Drunk on a Ladder,” a gentle track made more powerful by lead singer Paul Hunton’s raw vocals. The new and first single off the EP offers a rhythmic sway that’s met with playful lyrics and a damn catchy chorus: “Like being drunk on a ladder / Pocket full of screws and nothing really matters / Up there, up there in the air.” Reaching a satisfying peak at the end of the song after an orchestral buildup, the song sticks in your head with its mellow yet powerful production and Hunton’s hypnotizing voice.
“Drunk on a Ladder” is followed by the hauntingly tender “Evelyn,” a delicate track featuring rich visual storytelling and a heartbreaking guitar melody. “Breathe, Evelyn, Breathe / Winter is weary and long,” Hunton sings, in wonderful contrast to the first track’s more blasé energy.
As the EP progresses, it’s clear Dust City Opera is preparing to show the world their musical evolution as they push the boundaries of their sound.
This evolution can be heard in the album’s third song, “The Gate,” an excitingly eerie track with a gratifying beat and interstellar lyrics like “We’ll escape / Through the astroplane / Matter unconstrained / In moaning muon rain.” This track is followed by “King Friday,” a song which returns to the tenderness of “Evelyn,” this time with a much grander presence and sense of dramatics; the cinematic and enchanting horn falls naturally into a pointed and sultry electric guitar solo, showcasing Dust City Opera’s ability to bend genre and sound to their will.
Closing things out is the also epicly cinematic tune “No One Is Saved.” Hunton’s voice immediately hits with the force of a thousand anvils, and the slow n’ gritty rock n’ roll energy resonates something fierce, with the signature guitar solo offering something you might hear David Gilmour fire off on a Pink Floyd album.
Based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Dust City Opera was formed by Hunton in 2018, bringing together Clara Byom (clarinet and accordion), Travis Rourk (trombone, synth), Scott Brewer (bass) and Jesse Culberson (drums). Together, the band pushes the boundaries of genre, exploring sounds that evoke horror, lust, ecstasy, adventure, and the full spectrum of human emotion.
In 2023, Dust City Opera won Best Rock Album at the New Mexico Music Awards and Top Rock Group at the New Mexico Entertainment Awards for their 2022 album, Alien Summer, and with Cold Hands, the band continues to ruthlessly explore and expand the possibilities of sound and storytelling.
