We at The Vinyl are so happy to have gotten the chance to sit down and get to know the Los Angeles-based rock trio, Return to Dust, who have just released their debut single, “Black Road” alongside a dynamic music video directed by Matt Akana. Fans can stream “Black Road” here. Fans can also watch the brand new video for “Black Road” here or at the link below. See the interview below and make sure to check out the music these guys have put out!
The Vinyl: To those who are not familiar with you, would you mind introducing yourselves and your roles in the band? And how did Return to Dust form?
Return to Dust: Matty: I play rhythm guitar, sing and songwriter
Graham: I play bass, sing, and songwriter
Seb: I play lead guitar, and drums whenever i come over and bother them to jamGraham and i (Matty) went on a spring break trip in LA to visit our long time friend Ryan who works under our producer, Jim, who heard us play and encouraged us to pursue music full time. The three of us have been tight since middle school, we grew up together in our tiny hometown called Midlothian. Once we moved to LA, we met sebastian, who lived 5 houses down from us, and literally stumbled upon us playing in our garage while he was on a walk with his mom.
TV: To break the ice before dialing in- let’s share a fun fact no one may know about you?
RTD: Matty: i pick my nails til they bleed
Graham: i have a scar on my neck from when i was 2, i was jumping on a bed with a toothbrush in my mouth, fell off, and it got lodged in my throat. The doctor’s had to fly in a special surgeon to cut open my throat and get it out lol.
Seb: i used to learn all the michael jackson dance moves.
TV: Now it’s been shared you all are big magic the gathering fans -What color(s) are your main deck?
RTD: Matty: black, I love the dark themes and macabre flavor text
Graham: im somewhat indecisive and manic so i genuinely cant decide on a main deck most of the time. I play multiple.
Seb: redddddddddddddddd. many goblins. Big army fun destruction time.
TV: What are some other hobbies outside of the music world do you all have?
Matty: gaming, audio production, reading, working out, I dabble in arts like drawing and charcoal, and love a good home improvement project.
Graham: the indecision and manic behavior carries over to this. I hop in and out of hobbies: Rock climbing, gaming, visual art, photo-editing.
Seb: recently I’ve been drawing more and going to the skatepark.
TV: If there is any musician/artist/band you have the chance to collaborate with, who would it be?
RTD: We’ve never really done something like that before besides within the band but there are a few really cool RTD-adjacent acts out of Texas like Narrow Head and Bleak.
Graham’s a big fan of the OC locals Julie. They’re very expressive and it seems like they put a lot of emphasis on their process and growth in the works.
Matty likes the idea of getting to work with Danny Elfman, the mastermind behind all your favorite Tim Burton soundtracks.
TV: How would you describe your sound? What is something unique about your sound that may differ from other artists/bands in the same genre as you?
RTD: The duo vocals are definitely a stand out. It also helps that matty and I (graham) both write the songs so there’s a lot of sonic ideas and concepts bouncing between the two of us when conceiving the tunes. But we aim to capture a rawness in it all. It’s not always easy to describe but I hope it connects.
TV: What does the writing/recording process look like for you guys? What normally comes first, the lyrics or the music?
RTD: Music and lyrics are usually in tandem with each other. Matty and I (graham) share this type of songwriting where you kind of just say gibberish over whatever chord progression or riff you’re jamming, and then form the words and phrases as an afterthought to fit the vibe. So in a sense I suppose the music comes first, but it all works together. And finally we go to the studio either with a fully composed song or sometimes just a verse and chorus. Sometimes it’s best to leave the canvas a little more blank before studio day.
TV: You recently released your debut single called “Black Road” what is the story about this single and how did it get its name? How does this particular song compare to the singles to follow? What kind of message are you trying to send to your audience?
RTD: It was one of the first tunes written on the EP we’re releasing this summer, and definitely one of the first songs we wrote that we felt very proud of in terms of concept and
composition. The song came from feeling so trapped. It was a pandemic song so the feeling was literal but there was so much doubt that we carried with us during that time. We felt foolish for leaving our home in Texas behind only to be met with an industry shutdown and so many questions of “well what am i gonna do now?” but we pushed forward anyway. So we thought “Black Road” painted that picture.
TV: When in the writing process of creating music, what inspires/how do you keep inspired to write? How do you cope with writer’s block (if that ever pertains to you?)
RTD: Sometimes we feel deeply uninspired and it’s important to allow that feeling to ebb and flow as it will. Being in touch with what you’re feeling and why you’re feeling it is the root of it all so as long as you understand yourself, you should always be “inspired” if that’s how you want to define it. That’s a bit of a paradoxical answer but hopefully it resonates.
TV: As we wrap up this interview, anything you would like to put out into the world?
RTD: Find what it feels like to truly love something and do that. All the time.