Album Review: Croz Boyce - "Croz Boyce"

Croz Boyce, the new project from Animal Collective members Avey Tare and Geologist, goes back into the nature-focused psychedelia and acoustic work of their past. The album's immersive, rich, heightened sound will keep you wanting to come back for more and more.

Domino - 2026

Animal Collective are always flourishing inside and outside of their group, whether it's coming from the band or from a combination of the members themselves. The psychedelic, experimental Baltimore based group have been a staple within the indie scene for over twenty-five years now and since they've been successful, listeners have had many opportunities to hear members individually or together in different formats: Panda Bear's solo pop opuses, Avey Tare's psych garage endeavors, Deakin's trippy shimmery pieces, and Geologist's small, yet impressive work in the experimental field. Geologist just released a fantastic debut solo album earlier this year, Panda Bear and his trusty producing partner Sonic Boom are about to release a new album together next month, and now we have a new project too. This new project is called Croz Boyce and it comes from Avey Tare and Geologist. The two have collaborated in the past of course many times, but this is the first featuring them solely as a duo. It's also one that ditches the poppy, more accessible works and instead goes back into the nature-focused psychedelia and acoustic work of their past.

By not as accessible, I mean it's not exactly the kind of stuff you'll be hearing on the radio anytime soon. But when you get into the album's immersive, heightened sound, you'll be wanting to come back for more and more. There's plenty of acoustic embellishments thanks to Avey Tare's guitar playing, sonic touches of reverb, washes of ambient sounds, and shimmering effects. It all blends together into a pleasant, beautiful concoction that features some of their best work in years (and of the entire Animal Collective ecosystem). Croz Boyce is only nine tracks and forty minutes in length. It's an entirely instrumental affair, where each song flows into the next in a seamless way. It begs you to want to give this a listen on a solid pair of headphones while going for a nice walk outside, which also makes sense since the two decided to give listeners the opportunity to listen before its initial release by being physically in the wilderness on a trail.

The songs are gorgeous, charming, and lush to hear. The songs' pacing is almost at a floating, carefree level, where each song seems to be improvised or sounding improvised to the ears. The album is reminiscent of albums like Animal Collective's underrated Campfire Songs from 2003, where the album's flow and experience is so organic, seamless and immersive that you simply have to listen outside for the fullest experience. Highlights include the infectious opener "Hanging Out with a Blueberry Pop," the meditative "What If Janis Just Stared?," and the twangy "Steven's Sunshine Rejected." Really, all of the nine tracks here have a certain shine to them and are worth visiting, where the album is best when listened to from start to finish without interruption. Its dreamlike, colorful presentation makes it one of the sharpest albums of 2026 and one of the most noteworthy albums within the Animal Collective pantheon.

My Rating: 8 / 10

Favorite Songs: "Hanging Out with a Blueberry Pop," "What If Janis Just Stared?," "Eternal Dream Drone," "Townson Acid"