Review
For an instrumental project conceived by swapping files across state lines, Dave Portner and Brian Weitz's first outing as Croz Boyce sounds remarkably conversational. The debut builds from the acoustic roots the pair (better known as Animal Collective’s Avey Tare and Geologist) laid down for a 2022 compilation, expanding into a set of fragmented, wordless psych-folk meditations. It is a record that, in the words of PopMatters, finds the pair "pulling things apart and seeing what remains", trading the maximalist density of their main band for something decidedly bare and exposed.
Critics have warmly received the album as a casual but rewarding sandbox of electro-acoustic interplay. Reviewers note an underlying restlessness, where dry acoustic guitar phrases drift against unsteady synth currents. Pitchfork observes the pair "spiking gorgeous guitar patterns with unexpected effects and samples," while Uncut points to the "easygoing air to the duo's otherwise experimental-minded pieces." The mood toggles between pastoral calm and sudden disruption—music that thrives on unfinished exploration, mirroring the lifelong musical kinship at its center.
