Dust Star is comprised of Justin Jurgens (Sirs) and Cameron Wisch (Cende, Porches) sat with guitars on the floor of the Caboose, a shipping-container-turned-bedroom, sharing songs they had written over the last few years. They played and played until their fingers melted, all-the-while seeing the potential of a powerful musical collaboration. They decided to join forces, and the “roll-your-windows-down power-pop” outfit Dust Star was formed.

For the next two years Jurgens and Wisch drove back and forth between Joshua Tree and LA rehearsing and writing songs. Eventually the chess-obsessed, violinist-savant Oliver Hill joined them on bass and an LP began to take shape. Jurgens had recently befriended Nick Norrman (Banshee, Male Nurses), a recording engineer with a notoriously “punchy-and-crunchy” production style utilizing chaotic nests of wires, dusty mixing boards, and scrounged tape machines. Over the course of a very hot desert summer, they recorded their debut LP, Open Up That Heart.

Wisch says of new single ‘Work It Out’, “In the song, I was expressing an immense longing to resolve a conflict and the frustration and confusion that comes with struggling to communicate and to see a situation clearly. Those moments when our wounds start to dance with one another and we get lost in the storm. While it’s painful to go through, we grow by learning to ride those waves and we gain a lot of awareness about ourselves. I hope this song can help people feel some solidarity in their emotional struggles, as well as hope that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. By navigating these difficult situations we can evolve into more compassionate and self-aware people.”

Wisch’s pummeling drums explode out of the gate in the opening track “Nothing In My Head”. The unrelenting groove intertwines with Jurgens’ passionate vocal performance and raw punk guitars with a 60’s sparkle. The songs that follow resemble everything from a bootlegged copy of Neil Young’s Live Rust to a glowing Brian Wilson B-Side. Open Up That Heart takes a stab at finding hope and love in the face of recent heartbreak, outdated familial expectations, depression, and a world in turmoil.

Dust Star
Open Up That Heart
Track Listing
Lame-O Records

01) Nothing In My Head
02) Open Up That Heart
03) Work It Out
04) Back To The Start
05) Can’t Stop Thinkin Of You
06) Too Late
07) Feel It Without Trying
08) I’m Waiting For You
09) Turn Up The Heat
10) Get A Grip
11) Miles Away
12) Ash
13) March

Dust Star 2022 Tour Dates

Saturday, August 6 – Boston, MA @ Banshee Den
Sunday, August 7 – Catskill, NY @ Avalon Lounge
Monday, August 8 – Brooklyn, NY @ Purgatory
Tuesday, August 9 – Baltimore, MD @ Joe Squared
Wednesday, August 10 – Richmond, VA @ The Dark Room at The HofGarden
Thursday, August 11 – Washington, D.C. @ Quarry House Tavery
Sunday, August 14 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Sultan Room

Pre-order Open Up That Heart by Dust Star HERE