RETURN TO DUST

2025-04-02T21:08:28-07:00April 2nd, 2025|

The dual-vocal attack, heavy guitars, and ‘90s rock-worshipping hooks of RETURN TO DUST have earned them a team of influential industry players behind them. Producer Jim Kaufman (Everclear, Night Riots, Helmet) was first aboard, encouraging smalltown Texans Matt Bierlawsk (vocals/guitar) Graham Stanush (vocals/bass), and Sebastian Gonzalez (guitar) to move to Los Angeles, where they eventually recruited London Hudson (drums). Return To Dust’s self-titled debut album arrived in May 2024. They are now signed to Lava Records and about to begin a tour with Pop Evil, Devour The Day, and Oni. 

RYAN J. DOWNEY: HOW DID THE BAND FORM?

MATTY BIERLAWSK: Graham and I met at a very young age. We went to the same middle school together and became friends around high school. We had a tiny little music community. We’re from Texas originally, and our friend group was very musical. We lived in a rural town about an hour south of Dallas, and there weren’t any venues, a local scene, or bands. We would take our acoustic guitars to the local coffee shop and perform at open mics. We played a lot of singer-songwriter [style], folk, and alternative rock.

After high school, we all went our separate ways. Then, our buddy Ryan started interning under our now-producer Jim [Kaufman]. We visited him in LA on a whim and fell in love with the studio Jim was working in. Jim heard us play and said, “I really like your voices and your chemistry.” He offered to produce a record for us if we moved to LA. So, we did. That was about five years ago, and we’ve spent that time developing Return To Dust.

Along the way, we met Seb three years ago—he lived ten houses down from us—and London about a year ago. We’re still in the early stages of this little family, but it’s been a fun and promising ride so far.

YOU MOVED FROM TEXAS TO L.A. IN AN ERA WHERE MANY ARE DOING THE OPPOSITE.

MATTY: It felt right. If there was ever a time to do it, it was then. We were 19 years old and knew there was a point of no return. We had to go all in and see what it was about. A little blissful ignorance helped us take the leap—dropping out of college and everything. It was definitely a culture shock, and there’s still a lot to learn about living in a big city with a huge music scene and a lot of competition.

GRAHAM STANUSH: We heard from various people that we should have a plan B, just in case. But we never really thought that way. You have to put all your eggs in one basket. If you have a plan B, you’ll naturally gravitate toward it. Going full steam ahead and putting everything into this band felt like the only way forward. As long as you have your head on straight, good things will happen.

HOW DID YOU CONNECT WITH DANNY WIMMER?

GRAHAM: He has a label called Alchemy, and after we played for him, he said, “I think I want to manage you guys.” He had only managed two bands before, so it wasn’t something he did often, which made it feel special. We made some pretty crazy decisions—dropping out of college and moving across the country—but it all worked out.

MATTY: To give you the timeline, we only got signed and got management about a year ago, but the band has been together for five years. We did everything by ourselves for years. Jim, our producer, acted as our manager, label, and mentor.

THE BAND GETS COMPARED TO ALICE IN CHAINS, DEFTONES, SOUNDGARDEN…

GRAHAM: We didn’t deliberately set out to do it, but we had certain reference points. Early on, Matty and I knew we both wanted to sing, so we looked at rock bands with two singers. Alice in Chains was a big one. System of a Down and Pink Floyd—lots of bands with dual vocalists. We pulled from a lot of ‘90s influences, whether it was nu-metal, metal, or rock. But we also listen to a wide range of music, from OutKast to Michael Jackson. We try to capitalize on what the songs need while evolving with each project. Fans want something new but still reminiscent of who we are.

MATTY: Establishing an identity at the beginning is one of the hardest parts of starting a band. Our producer helped a lot with that. He was a rock guy, and he pushed us to create heavy music with alternative songwriting elements.

GRAHAM: Jim loves atmosphere. His mentor was Charlie Clouser, who worked with Nine Inch Nails. Jim incorporates epic production and out-of-the-box elements, like unique synths and percussion. He has his own style, which makes everything fresh.

WHAT HAS THE RESPONSE BEEN LIKE TO YOUR DEBUT FULL-LENGTH?

LONDON HUDSON: I joined just before the record release show, so I wasn’t on the first record, but seeing the response has been incredible. The growth from our first headline shows to the festivals we’ve played has been insane. We’re building a dedicated fan base, and it’s amazing.

SEBASTIAN GONZALEZ: I think about our growth every time we play. From our first time at Welcome to Rockville to our headlining shows now, we’ve become completely different musicians. Touring with bigger bands, getting advice, and seeing different crowds have shaped us.

HOW DO YOUR SHOWS DIFFER BETWEEN FESTIVALS, HEADLINING, AND SUPPORTING BIGGER BANDS?

GRAHAM: The atmosphere and crowd reaction are completely different. At our own shows, we have more freedom—the crowd is there for us. When we open for someone else or play a festival, we have something to prove.

MATTY: At our own show, you don’t have to prove anything. The crowd is already onboard. But at a festival or when opening for a bigger band, you have to win people over.

SEBASTIAN: Festivals are unique because they’re filled with rock fans, but not necessarily our fans. People are open to discovering new music, and we take that opportunity to blow them away.

WHAT ARE YOUR IMMEDIATE GOALS FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS?

GRAHAM: Europe is a big one. We get a lot of requests to play in the UK, Germany, and other places. We’re working on making that happen soon. There are also exciting tours and new music coming by the end of the year.

HOW DOES RADIO FIGURE INTO YOUR PLANS?

MATTY: Every listener matters. You can’t limit yourself to one way of thinking when trying to grow your band. Rock radio still has an active listener base, and we’ve met many fans who rely on it to discover new music. Touring has been eye-opening in that sense. In some areas, radio is still the primary way people find out about bands.

IT’S GREAT THAT YOU TOOK YOUR TIME TO DEVELOP A SOUND.

MATTY: We have a big team helping us now, but for the first five years, it was just us. Social media played a huge role in building our initial fan base. For any band wondering how to start, just focus on what you can control—writing good songs and putting them out there. You don’t need to post every day or overthink social media. Just be consistent. Over time, everything else will follow, and you’ll build the support system you need. Patience is key. You have to put in the work every day and make people believe in what you’re doing. #