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Firestations – International Dust

‘International Dust’ is the new album from London art-pop band Firestations, and it marks a return to their full five-piece band format after a journey into more stripped back alt-folk territory on last year’s ‘Many White Horses’. 

The nine tracks on the album (out in October on Lost Map Records), encompass an eclectic and intuitive mix of dream-pop, alt-country and hypnotic cyclical numbers, and were shaped collectively by the whole band through various twists and turns at rehearsal sessions during 2024. It was recorded live in the room at Otterhead Studios in early 2025 (engineered by Ellis Powell-Bevan and Oscar Ball), before being mixed and mastered by James Trevascus (Invada, Portishead, PJ Harvey, Young Fathers). This longer gestation period, combined with having someone outside the band on production duties, has resulted in a more expansive and immersive listen, with room for everything to find its place. 

The musical arrangements this time round also contribute to the immersive feel by exploring the depth of musicianship in the band, taking Firestations to previously uncharted territory. The improvised flute and viola on album opener ‘Hidden Face’ add some playful chaos and menace to proceedings, while on ‘Beginners’ and ‘Sleeping on the Sidelines’ the piano is woven into the mix, giving the tracks a sense of fragility and world-weariness. More surprisingly perhaps, Mike also adds some jazz adjacent tenor saxophone at the end of ‘International Dust’.

The album title itself has to do with the inevitable passing of time and the absurdity of human constructs, created as if permanence was a thing, combined with a questioning of boundaries both imagined and real (as well as being a reference to Silver Jew’s ‘American Water’: try new INTERNATIONAL DUST ™!). 

Overall, this collection is a significant step up for a consistently creative band who have re-invented themselves once again on this album – a satisfying listen at surface level, with deeper, thought-provoking foundations lurking beneath.

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