Lightleak

Picking up where he left off with 2020’s buoyant Lower Powers EP (Landland Colportage) under the D.H. Currier moniker, Chicago indie whiz Dustin Currier makes use of a signature sonic palette to expand that genre-agnostic pomp and circumstance (and personnel) on the debut Lightleak LP. In between facilitating remote music classes as a public school teacher and working on his other projects Ands and Cut Teeth, Currier utilized time in quarantine to self-produce this remarkable collection—arranging an exuberant brass section atop a bed of wiry, interlocking guitars, dizzying keyboards, and a nimble rhythm section. But according to Currier, “bringing other people in was paramount to making something that is three-dimensional and really worth listening to,” so he enlisted the art-punk audio ace Chad Clark (Beauty Pill, Dismemberment Plan) to mix the album; Sadie Dupuis (Speedy Ortiz, Sad13), Vivian McConnell (V.V. Lightbody), and Krystal Rosenbrock on additional vocals; Seth Engel (Options) on drums; Ben Grigg (Geronimo!) on trumpet; and Logan Bloom on trombone.

Lightleak's debut will be the inaugural release for Currier’s new record label, Model Love Songs. In addition to a full digital release, the limited edition 160-gram LP contains a 10-page DIY “zine” insert featuring original artwork and photography by Currier and Emily Dupree.