Angel Dust (stylized as Angel Du$t)[1] is an American rock group formed in Baltimore, Maryland in 2013,[2] made up of members of Turnstile and Trapped Under Ice.[3] They have released five studio albums to date; the most recent, Brand New Soul, was released in September 2023.[2] The band have been signed to Roadrunner Records since 2018.[4] In 2019, Billboard noted them as one of the most important bands in broadening the scope of what hardcore punk is.[5]Kerrang! included their 2019 album Pretty Buff as one of their "25 Best Albums of 2019"[6] and Loudwire named it one of the 50 best metal albums of 2019.[7]
History
2013–2016: early years, A.D., and Rock the Fuck on Forever
Angel Du$t was formed in 2013 by vocalist/songwriter Justice Tripp of Trapped Under Ice, guitarist Michael Quick, bassist Nicholas Heitman, drummer Daniel Fang of Turnstile, and guitarist Pat McCrory, who would also later go on to join Turnstile. The band released their demo Xtra Raw on April 8, 2013 via React! Records. In September/October 2013, the band supported Twitching Tongues on their On Tour There Is No Law US tour alongside Downpresser and select support from Turnstile and Stigmata.
In February 2014, the band supported Turnstile on their US headlining tour alongside Diamond Youth, Turnover, and Blind Justice. On June 10, 2014, the band released their debut album A.D. via React! and Reaper Records. On May 20, 2016, the band released their second album Rock the Fuck on Forever via Pop Wig Records, the label owned by Tripp, Fang, and Brendan Yates. In October/November 2016, the band supported Turnstile on their Move Thru Me tour in the US alongside Big Bite and select support from Krimewatch, Fury, and Lock.
2017–2020: Yates joining and Pretty Buff
In 2017, the band was joined by Turnstile vocalist Brendan Yates on drums.
On March 15, 2019, the band released their third album Pretty Buff via Roadrunner Records. This album brought a large stylistic change, shifting away from hardcore/punk music and more towards acoustic, power pop ballads. Most of the lyrical content was written about the passing of Tripp's dog, Spike. in June 2019, the band embarked on the second US leg of the Pretty Buff tour with support from Gouge Away and Giltterer.
In 2020, the band released the EP Lil House which featured songs that would later appear on the band's fourth album.
2021–present: Yak and Brand New Soul
Angel Dust performing at the Ottobar in Baltimore, 2023
In September 2021, the band supported Mannequin Pussy on their US tour alongside Pinkshift.[8] The following month, on October 22, the band released their fourth album Yak: A Collection of Truck Songs via Roadrunner Records. The album included the song "Dancing on the Radio", which featured Tim Armstrong of Rancid – marking the band's first ever track to include a listed feature.[9]
The band toured extensively throughout 2022. This included support slots for PUP on their Thank Fucking God US tour[10] and Movements on their debut US tour,[11] as well as a co-headlining UK tour with Drug Church.[12] The band continued to tour with Drug Church into 2023, with a North American tour alongside Fiddlehead taking place in February.[13]
In May 2023, the band shared two new songs: "Very Aggressive", featuring Mat Kerekes of Citizen, and "Love Slam".[14] In July, the band shared details of their fifth studio album Brand New Soul, as well as sharing a new single titled "Space Jam".[15] With the album's announcement came Tripp officially launching a new line-up of the band, including several new members that had previously served as touring substitutes while McCrory, Fang and Yates were busy with Turnstile: rhythm guitarist Steve Marino, bassist Zechariah Ghosttribe, drummer Tommy Cantwell and lead guitarist Daniel Star. In a new interview with Stereogum, Tripp confirmed that while both Fang and McCrory had made some contributions to the album and were still involved with the band to a degree, they had largely shifted out of the Angel Dust camp in order to focus full-time on Turnstile.[16]
Their 2013 demo Xtra Raw was described by Kerrang! as a "scrappy, lo-fi bundle of punk", while their subsequent material was more melodic.[24]Revolver magazine described the band's music as a "curve ball", due to its relationship to the hardcore scene, despite also including "heartfelt saxophone", "strummy acoustic guitar[s]" and "an overwhelming amount of positivity",[3] and in another article as "about as catchy and fun as catchy and fun get".[25] In an article for Clash, writer Robin Murray described their music as "between a rough-around-the-edges Lemonheads with Elvis Costello vocal melodies".[26]
Many of the tracks on the band's 2019 album Pretty Buff were written about the death of Tripp's dog.[27]
^Brannon, Norman. "In Conversation: Justice Tripp of Angel Du$t". Archived from the original on 2024-01-05. Retrieved 2 October 2024. Everything I do artistically is a combination of influences, and how do you mash them all together to make something new. I've always said that mine has been Stikman from Fury of Five: Raging psychopath. A fierce, unstoppable force. And then Iggy Pop: Sexuality is always in question.
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