dust – The Sky Is Collapsing

      A raw and intense brand of cathartic, confrontational guitar music...

      21 · 10 · 2025

      Emerging from a distinctly different Newcastle (down under) is an exciting new Australian band called dust. Their raw style of cathartic, confrontational guitar music not only rides the wave of the recent post-punk revival, but the four-member group also provides a keen perspective of self-exploration through their lyrics, shaped by co-vocalists and guitarists Justin Teale and Gabriel Stove. Their live performance credentials are impressive, having toured internationally with Interpol, as well as Slowdive and Bloc Party in their homeland. Following a series of releases, the band has captured their most substantial work to date in their debut album ‘Sky Is Falling.’

      The vibrant essence of dust's energetic roots is immediately evident in their debut. The opening track ‘Drawbacks’ pulsates energetically from beginning to end, featuring frenetic drums, chaotic guitars, and abrasive lyrics that demand the listener's full attention. The next track ‘Just Like Ice’ highlights the band's first dual vocal performance. The early sounds of Shame are clearly reflected here (particularly in ‘Concrete’), while piercing saxophone lines offer sharp melodies atop the song's tight rhythmic backdrop.

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      With each new release, they embrace greater variety in their music, and ‘Alistair’ emerges as one of the standout tracks on the album. Expanding into reverb and space, the guitars begin with a jangly, Byrds-inspired riff before blending into dreamy atmospherics and a shoegaze-influenced outro. Teale’s lyrics draw from an encounter the band had with a man who divulged his struggles within minutes of meeting them. This feeling of openness resonates sonically as well. It’s post-punk with flair.

      ‘Restless’ addresses broader existential themes that have recurred throughout much of the band’s music so far. This downtempo track exudes lethargy through Stove’s vocal delivery, with contrasting lyrics from Teale reflecting on differing worldviews: “We thought so hard on what to say / But we both know we’re in outer space / Doesn’t seem quite right when we fall out / Maybe this love of restless is what I hate.”

      Melancholy is evident in the Fontaines D.C.-inspired guitars of ‘Aside’ and the gradually building ‘Day Tight’ that culminates in a Dogrel-like punch. Nostalgia seeps into ‘Fairy,’ while the closing track ‘In Reverie’ ends the album on a hypnotic note with ethereal saxophones and a brief spoken word excerpt touching on childhood innocence and naivety.

      While ‘Sky Is Falling’ may not provide solutions to life’s pressing questions, dust’s earnest quest for answers through their latest finely crafted material is certainly commendable.

      7/10

      Words: Jamie Wilde

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