Dust (Laurel Halo album)

Dust is the third album by Berlin-based American electronic music artist Laurel Halo. It was released on June 23, 2017 by Hyperdub. The album features contributions from Eli Keszler, Julia Holter, Michael Salu, and Max D among others, and was preceded by the single "Jelly", featuring Klein and Lafawndah.

Critical reception
Upon its release, Dust was received positively by music critics, with a Metacritic weighed aggregate score of 84 out of 100 based on 18 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Writing for The Guardian, Ben Beaumont-Thomas called the album "a triumph of impressionism, where the digital and organic coexist in a radically beautiful whole," while naming it electronic." In his review for AllMusic, Paul Simpson described Dust as, "very disorienting and not always easy to grasp hold of, but it never comes close to sounding like anything else, and its best moments are highly compelling." Heather Phares described the album in the artist's biography as fusing jazz with avant-pop. Resident Advisor described the music on Dust as experimental. Andrew Dorsett of PopMatters said in his review that Halo is "crafting a series of drifting art pop pieces that evoke forgotten, buried materials long since fallen into disrepair.". The Quietus' Joseph Burnett said that "her almost monomaniacal focus on the intricacies of sound since her earliest releases has clearly culminated with this record, one that is in constant flux between joyful abandon and grim introspection, pop-tinged electronica and avant-garde expressionism."

April Clare Welsh of Fact wrote: "Like Arca's Arca, Laurel Halo's third album also explores the human voice. But while Arca explores largely organic territory, Halo fashions a musique concrete mosaic of vocal cut-ups and robotic reveries."

Track listing
Tracks adapted from Bandcamp.

Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Dust.

Musicians

 * Laurel Halo – vocals, synthesizer, piano, vibraphone, guitaret
 * Eli Keszler – drum kit, dumbek, glockenspiel
 * Max D – cowbell (track 2)
 * Klein – vocals (tracks 1, 2)
 * Lafawndah – vocals (tracks 2, 8)
 * Michael Salu – vocals (tracks 7)
 * Craig Clouse – wurlitzer (tracks 7, 9, 10)
 * Julia Holter – cello (track 10)
 * Michael Beharie – electric guitar (track 5)
 * Diamond Terrifier – tenor saxophone (tracks 4, 10)

Technical personnel

 * Laurel Halo – production
 * Cole M.G.N. – mixing
 * Jason Goz – mastering

Artwork

 * Phillip Aumann – photography