Croz Boyce give Animal Collective fans a new instrumental side road

Croz Boyce, the new instrumental duo from Animal Collective members Dave Portner and Brian Weitz, release their self-titled debut on 8 May via Domino. Portner is known as Avey Tare and Weitz as Geologist, but Croz Boyce is not simply an Animal Collective album without the vocals.

It is its own side road: loose, exploratory, friendly and textural. The project developed remotely, with guitar ideas and sound pieces passed between Portner and Weitz from their respective homes and later mixed with help from fellow Animal Collective member Josh Dibb, also known as Deakin.

The name nods to David Crosby, and the album’s track titles show the duo’s playful instincts: Hanging Out With a Blueberry Pop, Towson Acid, What If Janis Just Stared?, Father Karras and Banana Pudding. The music is built from acoustic and electric strings, synthesizers and percussion, creating a space where melody, texture and odd humor can coexist without needing a frontman or lyrical narrative.