ANGEL DU$T, Justus Proffit, Pardoner, Militarie Gun

All Ages

Justice Tripp, vocalist / guitarist for Baltimore, Maryland’s Angel Du$t, has never been

one for making rock albums, at least not in the traditional sense. For Tripp, an album is

not a singular, rigidly defined work, but rather an ever-evolving experience, a grab bag

of creative tricks and treats that’s enjoyable whether its contents are savored

individually or all at once. “People get really married to the idea of making a record that

sounds like the same band,” Tripp explains. “If one song to the next doesn’t sound like

it’s coming from the same band, I’m ok with that.” This spirit of creative restlessness,

reinforced through a staunch work ethic and a revered live show, has fueled Angel

Du$t’s steady ascent over the past eight years. The way Tripp sees it, Angel Du$t are

neither hardcore nor a supergroup: just a revolving lineup of like-minded peers and ride-

or-die friends, making guitar music, rocking the fuck on forever. YAK: A Collection of

Truck Songs, Angel Du$t’s latest full-length and the follow-up to 2019’s Pretty Buff, sees

the group channeling an anything-goes philosophy into their tightest, most forward-

thinking material yet. Produced by Rob Schnapf and recorded over a two-month period

in Los Angeles in 2020, it’s a rotating smorgasbord of percussion, guitar tones, effects,

genres, and influences, fashioned in the spirit of a playlist as opposed to a capital-R

“Record.” Like every great playlist—and Tripp makes a lot of playlists—it’s a carefully-

engineered project that still manages to sound effortless, with brisk pacing and constant

switch-ups that keep the spirit of discovery at the forefront.