B-Side Guys

Some recordings capture not just sound but atmosphere. Portland outfit Dusty Lucite’s Valentine’s Day release “Old Feelings” belongs to this rare category—a track that seems to materialize from vintage vinyl discovered in a thrift store basement, yet somehow addresses modern emotional paralysis with startling clarity.

The collaboration with D. Crane adds textural depth to this exploration of emotional muscle memory, creating a sonic landscape where familiar and foreign elements coexist in productive tension. When the track opens with its simple declaration that old feelings are “the ones that I know the best,” the delivery suggests both comfort and limitation—recognizing how we often retreat to familiar emotional territory precisely because it requires no new neural pathways.

What distinguishes “Old Feelings” from typical lo-fi rock is its judicious use of psychedelic elements. Rather than overwhelming the composition with effects, Dusty Lucite employs psychedelia as emotional metaphor—sonic distortion that mirrors the way memory distorts past experiences. This approach creates space for listeners to project their own relationship with nostalgia onto the track’s sparse narrative framework.

The production choices enhance this thematic exploration, with purposeful imperfections that suggest intimate documentation rather than polished performance. Particularly effective is how the instrumentation creates a swirling backdrop against which the vocals maintain conversational directness, especially when acknowledging the paralysis of being “against the wall” and “afraid to make the call.”

Most compelling is the track’s final observation about reclaiming what’s been lost—”there’s only one way that you ever get it back again.” By refusing to explicitly name this method, Dusty Lucite transforms simple resolution into existential koan, inviting listeners to complete the thought from their own experience. This ambiguity creates philosophical depth without sacrificing emotional immediacy.

The Portland music scene has long fostered artists who embrace genre fluidity, and Dusty Lucite continues this tradition by moving effortlessly between psychedelic rock, lo-fi aesthetics, and indie pop sensibilities. “Old Feelings” serves as evidence that sometimes the most effective artistic statements emerge not from rigid genre adherence but from the spaces between established categories—much like how the most profound emotional insights often emerge from the liminal territory between familiar feelings.