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Animal CollectivesDave Portner(Avey Tare) andBrian Weitz(Geologist) unveil their new project, instrumental duoCroz Boyce. Croz Boyces self-titled debut album is a series of nine tracks featuring a blend of electric and acoustic string instruments, synthesizers, and percussion, with additional mixing by Animal CollectivesJosh Dibb(Deakin) and mastering byTaylor Deupree.

What if 40 minutes of instrumental music made by two friends passing files across state lines could capture the range of human experience, or at least a disproportionate chunk of itworry and camaraderie, hope and frustration, tenderness and absurdity? That is the question that steadily emerges across the nine tracks of the self-titled debut fromCroz Boyce, the duo of two musicians who have made some of the last quarter-centurys most inquisitive music,Dave Portner(Avey Tare) andBrian Weitz(Geologist) ofAnimal Collective. Buds and collaborators for so long that it seems they can have deep exchanges without a word or, in this case, a shared physical space, Portner and Weitz cry and hug and crack up (good) and crack up (bad) as a pair here. A record of sweet or fretful acoustic strums and electronics that give every scene color and depth, Croz Boyce feels like a celebration of friendship, of the chance to share a lifetime together even if from a distance.

When the pace picks up in the back half, though, it feels like two people who simply trust one another, reaching together for something a little better. To reiterate, this could of course all be wrong. Take this music on a hike or a walk or a lazy riverside day. Listen. Decide for yourself.

Back before Animal Collective was really called Animal Collective, the goal was for that loose confederation of close friends to make music together as time and personnel and circumstance allowed. Like jazz musicians showing up for sessions, theyd slap the name of whoever played on the cover. Branding needs intervened, and, well, we have been blessed with approximately a quarter-century of Animal Collective. But the idea remains, as every member of that band has always moved as a perpetual free agent. Weitz and Portner were going to call this music Geologist and Avey Tare, but they began this project around the time that David Crosby died. A Dropbox folder named Croz Boys mutated into the handle Croz Boycenot a tribute to the Crozs music at all but maybe an unintentional tribute to the idea that there are lots of worse ways to pass your life than making music with buds. Again, though, that could all be wrong.

Tracklisting

1. Hanging Out With a Blueberry Pop
2. Towson Acid
3. What If Janis Just Stared?
4. Abundant River Zap
5. Steven’s Sunshine Rejected
6. Father Karras
7. Janis (Still Staring)
8. Eternal Dream Drone
9. Banana Pudding

street date 5/8/2026