Croz Boyce: Pastoral Guitars and Unsettling Synths

The duo of Avey Tare and Geologist from Animal Collective have unveiled their first album under the moniker Croz Boyce, titled "Abundant Zap River." This new project offers a sun-drenched, unhurried listening experience, focusing on pastoral acoustic guitar passages intertwined with intricate, glitchy synthesizer work. The music evokes a feeling of being caught between a pleasant dream and an insistent, disquieting sound.

Drawing inspiration from David Crosby's collaborative album, "If Only I Could Remember My Name," Avey Tare’s guitar playing on "Abundant Zap River" is sparser than previous Animal Collective works, featuring warm, open chords. Geologist, also known for his solo work, complements this with electronic textures, including hurdy-gurdy sounds and synthesized glitches that add unnerving shadows to the compositions. These electronic elements push the songs into unexpected territories, sometimes sounding like a crying baby or a falling coin.

Tracks like "Towson Acid" transition from cozy folk to intricate rhythms, while "Father Karras" introduces circus-like sounds. The album culminates with "Eternal Dream Drone," featuring a fuzzy guitar solo that blurs the line with distorted electronic samples. The repeated motifs in this track create an illusion of accelerated tempos and fading electronics, leaving the listener with a sense of having been transported yet remaining grounded.