Since 2006, when Dup Crosson formed Saint Solitude, he's been busy: writing songs, recording, touring, putting out releases, constantly challenging and changing. This is just how Crosson imagined it. A multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter, Crosson formed Saint Solitude to have his own project going, a vessel for his songs and recordings, whether his other bands were busy or busy breaking up. After self-releasing Disaster Stories in 2008, an arresting five song EP recorded with producer Andrew Schatzberg at Landslide Studio in Asheville, NC, and touring incessantly in support of the release, Saint Solitude quickly replaced Crosson's other musical projects as his primary focus.
With Disaster Stories, a soundtrack for the 2008 short film Dry Fly, the 2009 EP Contrary, and several extended tours under his belt, Crosson settled himself in a house in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina to record a full-length album, aptly titled Journal of Retreat. The twelve songs that comprise Journal weave a mesmerizing mix of anthemic indie-rock and hypnotic shoegaze pop. Early mixes attracted the interest of Alive and Well Records who signed Saint Solitude and is releasing the album in early 2010.
Saint Solitude completed 14,000 miles on the road touring the US in late 2009. With a full band in tow to recreate the rich sounds of the album, Saint Solitude hits the Southeast in 2010 to support its debut full-length Journal of Retreat. All tracks recorded at Landslide Recording Studios in Asheville, North Carolina. https://www.landslidestudio.com
Saint Solitude’s Journal of Retreat has all the characteristics of a great pop album: immediate hooks and extended-release sleepers, driving anthems and layered musings. Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dup Crosson, the musician behind Saint Solitude, weaves a collection of twelve songs that is a watershed moment for this young artist.
Alternating between indie rock, shoegaze and Britpop, drums drive without being clichéd, guitars are hypnotic and playful, urgent and spacey, keyboards atmospheric, and guest contributions of trumpet and cello add a blast of Beatlesque color and musicality. At the helm of it all is Crosson’s voice and brilliant harmonies, his compelling performances articulating the smart and spacious melodies.
The sometimes low-fi aesthetic (Crosson recorded the album in a small rented home in the mountains of NC) makes for an intimate listen, haunting and blissful. Producer Andrew Schatzberg, brought in to mix, brings a dreamy and distressed aesthetic to the mix, à la Radiohead meets The Flaming Lips.
