Shape & Destroy

by Ruston Kelly

Overview

Shape & Destroy arrived in August of 2020, not long after Ruston Kelly announced his separation from his wife Kacey Musgraves. Given this public turmoil, there may be a temptation to view Kelly's second album through this prism, finding hints of heartbreak scattered throughout its 13 songs. That's not an accurate way of viewing the album, though. Musgraves appears on Shape & Destroy, for one, and while there is a freeform melancholy floating throughout, the record is a balm, something to soothe during troubled times. Many of its songs are about interior journeys, a sentiment that neatly dovetails with how the album represents the first time Kelly recorded music while sober. Certainly, Shape & Destroy is markedly more focused than its 2018 predecessor Dying Star, less likely to drift into a neo-psychedelic haze. Kelly remains enamored with music that seems designed to soundtrack the twilight. Apart from the sharply honed lyrics, every element on Shape & Destroy is appealingly hazy -- tempos are slow and lazy, and guitars provide a soft bed for Kelly's leathery voice. All this adds up to an album well-suited for moments of introspection, moments when a listener is searching for sustenance and reassurance somewhere outside of themselves. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	08/28/2020
Label:	Concord / Rounder
UPC:	0888072169609

Tracks

1. In the Blue
2. Radio Cloud
3. Alive
4. Changes
5. Mid-Morning Lament
6. Brave
7. Clean
8. Rubber
9. Jubilee
10. Closest Thing
11. Pressure
12. Under the Sun
13. Hallelujah Anyway

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ruston Kelly   Primary Artist,Drums,Piano,Vocals,Mandolin,Percussion,Scratching,Hi String Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Eric Slick   Drums,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Eli Beaird   Bass,Drums,Percussion,Guitar (Bass),Vocals (Background)
Kacey Musgraves   Vocals (Background)
Jarrad Kritzstein   Bells,Piano,Keyboards,Percussion,Fender Rhodes,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background),Guitar (12 String Acoustic)
Gena Johnson   Vocals (Background)
Tim Kelly   Guitar (Steel),Vocals (Background)
Abby Kelly   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Greg Calbi   Mastering
Steve Fallone   Assistant Mastering Engineer
Nick Steinhardt   Design,Art Direction
Ashley Ray   Composer
Jarrad Kritzstein   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Recording Producer
Ruston Kelly   Composer,Producer,Recording Producer
Gena Johnson   Engineer,Recording
Ariel Shafir   Assistant Engineer
Alexa King   Photography