By Azzam Bilal 
HangupsMusic.com – Asheville, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C., have long served as the disparate geographical anchors for two of modern indie rock’s most restless innovators. Dave Portner and Brian Weitz, known to the global music community as Avey Tare and Geologist of the seminal experimental collective Animal Collective, have officially announced the formation of a new collaborative endeavor. Operating under the moniker Croz Boyce, the duo is set to release their self-titled debut album on May 8. Issued via their long-standing label home, Domino Recording Co., the project marks a significant pivot toward purely instrumental textures, offering a fresh window into the creative shorthand shared by two artists who have spent over two decades redefining the boundaries of psychedelic music.
The announcement of Croz Boyce arrives alongside the premiere of its lead single, the whimsically titled "Hanging Out With a Blueberry Pop." The track is accompanied by a music video that captures the peculiar, often aquatic-adjacent aesthetic that has frequently defined the duo’s visual output. Directed by Joseph Ricketts—a professional snorkeler whose unique vantage point brings an organic, fluid quality to the imagery—the video serves as a perfect companion to the song’s undulating synthesis and rhythmic curiosity. This choice of director is not entirely surprising for fans of the group; Animal Collective has a documented fascination with the natural world and marine environments, most notably evidenced in their 2018 audiovisual album Tangerine Reef.
The genesis of the project’s name, Croz Boyce, carries a poignant weight. It serves as a direct nod to the late David Crosby, the legendary singer-songwriter and folk-rock icon who passed away in early 2023. At the time of Crosby’s death, Portner and Weitz were just beginning to exchange the sonic sketches that would eventually coalesce into this album. Crosby, often affectionately referred to by his nickname "Croz," was a figure who, much like the members of Animal Collective, valued the harmony between complexity and melody. While the new project is instrumental, the spirit of Crosby’s adventurousness—particularly his later-career explorations into jazz-inflected and atmospheric sounds—seems to haunt the edges of these recordings.
The production of Croz Boyce was a feat of modern remote collaboration. With Portner based in the mountainous enclave of Asheville and Weitz residing in the political and cultural hub of Washington, D.C., the duo relied on the digital exchange of files to build their soundscapes. This method of working is not new to them, but it took on a different character for this project. Without the narrative structure of lyrics or the communal energy of a full band session, the focus shifted entirely to the dialogue between their respective instruments. Portner’s penchant for manipulated acoustic elements and organic melodies met Weitz’s mastery of modular synthesis and "found" electronic textures, resulting in a sound that feels both intimate and expansive.
To bring the project to its final form, the duo enlisted a familiar face from their inner circle. Josh Dibb, better known as Deakin, handled the mixing duties for the record. Dibb’s role within the Animal Collective ecosystem has often been that of the meticulous craftsman, the member capable of finding the frequency balance in the middle of chaotic sonic experiments. His involvement ensures that Croz Boyce maintains the high-fidelity weirdness that fans have come to expect, bridging the gap between home-recorded spontaneity and professional studio polish.
This new venture follows a period of immense productivity for the individual members of the collective. In 2023, Animal Collective released Isn’t It Now?, an album that was praised for its expansive jams and return to a more organic, band-oriented sound. That same year, Portner released his latest solo effort as Avey Tare, titled 7s, which explored a more whimsical, "back-porch" psychedelia. Weitz, meanwhile, made a significant solo splash earlier this year with the release of Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights?, a debut solo LP under his Geologist moniker that leaned heavily into his love for drone, environmental recordings, and modular exploration.
The emergence of Croz Boyce suggests that even after the success of their recent group and solo efforts, Portner and Weitz felt there was a specific territory they had yet to map out as a duo. By stripping away the vocals—which have historically been a focal point of their work—they have allowed the "Animal Collective sound" to be viewed through a different lens. It is a move that recalls the early days of their career, where the textures were often as important, if not more so, than the traditional song structures.
The tracklist for the self-titled debut offers a glimpse into the thematic preoccupations of the record. Titles such as "Towson Acid" suggest a localized, perhaps nostalgic trip through their Maryland roots, while "What If Janis Just Stared?" and "Janis (Still Staring)" point toward a recurring character or a specific, frozen moment in time. The inclusion of "Father Karras" invokes a cinematic reference to The Exorcist, hinting at a potential flirtation with the eerie or the supernatural. "Banana Pudding" and "Abundant River Zap" maintain the playful, sensory-focused nomenclature that has long been a staple of their discography.
For the dedicated fanbase, Croz Boyce represents a deepening of the lore. The relationship between Portner and Weitz is one of the most enduring in independent music, beginning in their teenage years and surviving the various ebbs and flows of the industry. Their ability to find new ways to surprise one another—and their audience—is a testament to their curiosity. In the context of David Crosby’s passing, the album also functions as a meditation on legacy and the ways in which the giants of the past continue to influence the avant-garde of the present.
As the release date of May 8 approaches, the anticipation surrounding the full album continues to grow. Domino Recording Co. has remained a steadfast partner for the group, allowing them the freedom to pursue these niche side-projects that often inform the direction of the main band. Whether Croz Boyce remains a one-off experiment or becomes a recurring vehicle for Portner and Weitz remains to be seen. However, "Hanging Out With a Blueberry Pop" serves as a compelling invitation into their latest dreamscape—a place where snorkeling, folk-rock legends, and modular synthesizers coexist in a singular, shimmering harmony.
The album’s release will likely be accompanied by further visual components, given the duo’s history of integrating film and art into their musical rollouts. In an era where music is often consumed in bite-sized, algorithm-friendly pieces, a full-length instrumental journey from two of the genre’s most respected architects is a welcome anomaly. It asks the listener to sit back, ignore the lack of a chorus, and find the meaning in the frequency. As they have done for over two decades, Avey Tare and Geologist are once again proving that the strangest trips are often the most rewarding.
Croz Boyce Tracklist:
01 Hanging Out With a Blueberry Pop
02 Towson Acid
03 What If Janis Just Stared?
04 Abundant River Zap
05 Steven’s Sunshine Rejected
06 Father Karras
07 Janis (Still Staring)
08 Eternal Dream Drone
09 Banana Pudding