Dusted

Dusted serves as the atmospheric, shape-shifting songwriting outlet for Brian Borcherdt of Holy Fuck. In deliberate opposition to the high-energy dancefloor focus of his other band, the project lets Borcherdt pursue a restrained and stripped-back approach, shaping releases such as 2018’s Blackout Summer and 2021’s III through layers of hazy atmosphere and experimental home-recording techniques.

The project originated when Borcherdt linked up with producer Leon Taheny during a pause in Holy Fuck’s touring cycle; together they captured material the songwriter had developed since completing Holy Fuck’s 2010 album Latin inside a converted garage. Dusted’s first live appearances came in early 2012, when the duo opened for Deerhoof and Of Montreal. Their debut full-length, Total Dust, followed that July. Continued road work with both Dusted and Holy Fuck allowed Borcherdt to accumulate another set of songs over the ensuing years. Early attempts at a more refined, multi-layered production proved unsatisfying and were ultimately discarded. The project then reconvened with a revised ensemble featuring Borcherdt alongside his wife Anna Edwards on guitar, Loel Campbell on drums, and Anna Ruddick contributing bass on select tracks. This configuration yielded Blackout Summer, which appeared in April 2018.

For the third album, III, Dusted shifted direction once more, abandoning the expanded band format in favor of the immediate, single-take approach that defined Total Dust. Midway through the sessions Borcherdt moved with his family from Toronto to rural Nova Scotia; he finished the record in that tranquil environment, weaving field recordings of the surrounding landscape into the final mixes. III reached listeners in July 2021.