Today we’d like to introduce you to Return to Dust.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Matty (vocals/guitar): Of course, we started as just friends– Graham (vocals/bass) and I grew up in a small town in Texas called Midlothian, the cement capital of the state. Suffice to say, there was nothing to do there save a small intimate coffee shop that hosted open mics every Thursday of the week. Graham and I would show every day with our high school buddies and perform everything from Fleetwood Mac to modern Pop & folk (Cage the Elephant, Catfish & the Bottlemen, Head & the Heart).
Graham: We went our separate ways after high school, pursuing stem degrees at colleges in different states, with little to no solid direction to our lives. One spring break, we decided to visit our childhood friend Ryan Molder (assistant engineer on the record), who was working underneath Jim Kaufman (producer, mixer on the record) in Los Angeles. There was an immediate connection, and Kaufman urged us to pursue music full-time in the big city. We practically packed everything in the summer of 2019 and moved here with zero ideas of the music business or how we were going to achieve “success”.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
M: A mixture of both–we’ve taken the hurdles we’ve gotten in stride. Overall, I feel blessed with the opportunities that have been presented to us and our ability to meet them head-on. A hurdle to mention is the pandemic, which hit us right as we moved here, forcing us into isolation, which we turned into an opportunity to refine our work.
G: 3 20-year-old living in a one-bedroom apartment was pretty rough at first. We’ve since graduated to a house, but that was a strange year to say the least. Though I’ve never felt more connected to my bandmates. In that same year, I lost my dad to suicide. Very tough time. I’m glad I had the band around me for that. I think we all grew quite a bit from that experience.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
M: We write heavy rock music with a grunge influence, emphasis on dark lyrical content, and philosophical poses on mortality. We begin writing every song on an acoustic guitar, with songwriting to the forefront, Graham and I do a mix of writing, either in tandem or written separately. I enjoy writing riffs and energetic songs, while Graham usually drifts towards ballads and downtempo songs, creating a fruitful dichotomy in our music. I’m proud of the work we’ve put in so far; the image, professionalism, and quality of the art that we consistently deliver.
G: Like Matty said, I tend to gravitate towards the low and slow. I suppose I feel more connected to it in some way. But it makes for a balanced dynamic. Return to Dust is a sort of vessel for both of these personalities to come out. Very grateful for that. I think maybe that sets us apart from others. I see it as a strong arm to have two songwriters and two voices.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
M: Jim Kaufman deserves an immense amount of credit; he basically produced this band from the ground up, giving us influential artists to listen to, an educated outsider’s point of view, and healthy, productive methods to yield results from a business point of view.
G: Rick Beato has a huge but indirect, influence on The Black Road EP. He breaks down all the little intricacies in lots of 90s songs which was super cool for us at the time when listening to all of that stuff. Our videographer Matt Akana is a huge help for all of our music videos. He directs all of them. And last, but not least, our great friend Ryan Molder who assisted in production and lives with both me and Matty. He was there before anyone and continues to be the biggest supporter and vocal genius. Any harmonies you hear on any of our songs was probably thought of by him.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/returntodust
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/returntodustband/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCULx6mhjCauXG9S8rVWnMPA
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@returntodustband
Image Credits
All photos taken by Matt Akana.
