Crystal Skies Deliver Sophomore Album ‘Stardust’ on Insomniac’s Lost In Dreams

American melodic bass duo Crystal skies have released their second studio album, with features from HALIENE, RUNN, Amidy, and more.

Almost exactly two years after the release of their debut album, ‘Not Since When,’ Crystal Skies (Britain Holcomb and Aaron Dawson) have dropped their sophomore album, ‘Stardust,’ on Insomniac’s Lost In Dreams label. The 10-track record is a stylistic departure from their first, which leaned into the pop-punk and alt-rock-inspired flavor of electronic music that has been popularized recently by the likes of Illenium and William Black. Both in terms of sound and celestial references, ‘Stardust’ feels much more similar to the group’s two EPs on Ophelia Records, ‘Constellations’ and ‘Collide.’ 

“Growing Pains” featuring SOUNDR, the first track on the new album and the final single leading up to its release, is instantly a quintessential Crystal Skies song. Airy contemplations on the human experience wrapped in sparkly melodies and explosive bass has been the formula for many of their best songs (see: “Human,” “Crash & Burn,” “Like Water”), and it works for them again here. Later on the record, “Farewell” fits this bill as well thanks in large part to the vocal performance from KnownAsNat, the lone carry-over feature from their first album.

The duo recruited HALIENE’s golden voice for the title track, “Stardust,” giving it the monumental feel it deserves. They reunite with their old friend RUNN for “Hurts Sometimes,” a refreshingly light house song that acts as a nice palette cleanser for the listener. Two songs later, “Event Horizon ” hits the other extreme with a gothic combination of heavy dubstep and psytrance that stands in stark contrast to the soft melodies of the rest of the album. The duo explain that they were aiming for “a spiritual follow-up” to their epic 2020 track “Requiem” with this one, and they feel it “represents a blend of everything heavy we were into at the time.”

“Other Side” puts the ethereal vocals of Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Luxtides to good use for a gorgeous synthy track. Crystal Skies note that “this song is really special to us because it was the first one that really captured the vibe we wanted for the whole album.” “Heart’s Still Beating” captures this vibe perfectly again for their second collaboration with the talented vocalist She Is Jules. 

Crystal Skies also submit their entry – and an excellent one, at that – into the North American drum & bass craze with “Explosions.” The drum & bass is then carried over ever-so-slightly into “Nirvana” with Amidy, a textbook euphoric future bass tune. To put a bow on the record, the duo cuts a little aggressive dubstep into an otherwise pretty and melodic track in “Lifeline” featuring Meggie York, a balance that they have executed beautifully ever since their breakout hit, “Never Change.”

Lost In Dreams has a good one with ‘Stardust,’ and it’ll be exciting to see where Crystal Skies goes from here. Check out the new album below!