Album Notes

"SUBVERSION VIA POP"

Saint Solitude is the solo project of Asheville, NC musician and Maine native Dup Crosson.

Crosson is a loop artist that combines his favorite elements of shoegaze, space rock, post-punk, and psychedelia into concise, accessible, and immediately appealing pop songs. His songs range from sweeping piano laments to visceral guitar attacks on the popular music format.

Live, the songs take on a more direct and stripped down sound- though not acoustic- with Crosson relying on his delay and loop pedals, as well as abundant reserves of reverb, to fill the space that his arrangements provide on record. Quite simply, it is a dynamic and varied one-man electric show that features guitar, synth, and samples underneath Crosson's empassioned vocal performance.

For inspiration, Crosson relies on the Britpop favorites he grew up with such as Oasis, Suede, Ride, Idlewild, and Coldplay. Other essentials include The Smashing Pumpkins, Neko Case, Muse, Echo and the Bunnymen, The National, U2, and R.E.M. He has been recently compared to Jeremy Enigk (of Sunny Day Real Estate), though many have noticed the obvious Radiohead influence as well.

Crosson has played under the Saint Solitude moniker since 2006, when he studied in Sweden and wrote the majority of the songs on his debut EP, Disaster Stories. The EP was recorded at Landslide Studios in Asheville, NC, and released independently in January 2008.

Touring in support of the CD brought Crosson from the South to the Northeast in the summer of 2008 for his first major tour. In true DIY fashion, the tour was booked, promoted and played as most things in Saint Solitude world are: completely solo.

"Doing everything yourself forces you to constantly evolve, just in order to keep up," Crosson says. "It's a challenge but that's what makes it so interesting to me. SS demands a lot, but I'm really only happy when I'm being really productive, so it works out."

Crosson recently finished another East Coast tour and hopes to gain regional and national attention in 2009 when he will record his debut record in his newly-built home studio in Asheville. He will be touring between both coasts throughout the year.

Saint Solitude will also be releasing a limited edition split EP with fellow Asheville musician Charles Martel in February 2009.

"...spectral, drifting and sometimes grandiose. Dup sounds adrift at sea, and he’s not sure whether it’s a good thing or not...somewhere between a sneer and despairing sigh" -Russell's Reviews

"inventive without being intrusive or indulgent" - Stephen Deusner, Pitchfork contributor

"He's basically a one-man Radiohead. Seriously." - Hillytown blog