{"id":15978,"date":"2025-10-22T17:57:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T17:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/15978\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T17:57:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T17:57:08","slug":"derek-dunn-releases-evocative-atmospheric-solo-album-to-love-and-leave-america-at-the-same-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/15978\/","title":{"rendered":"Derek Dunn releases evocative, atmospheric solo album ‘To Love and Leave America at the Same Time’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Derek Dunn releases rustic solo album Credit: Photo by Jimmy Schaus<\/p>\n

From the avant-garde academics to the noise freaks, Orlando\u2019s experimental music scene is abuzz right now. One of the most salient names in this churning hive is Derek Dunn, who\u2019s often in the thick among leading names in the city\u2019s free-music circles like Bongus, Aarons Home, Storage Music Unit and Thomas Milovac\u2019s\u00a0Quartet, among others. Now, however, he\u2019s about to step out with a solo debut album.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Oct. 26, Dunn\u2019s To Love and Leave America at the Same Time LP is released. Unlike the frenetic improv energy of some of his collaborative work above, this solo introduction is a study in serenity. It\u2019s an expedition into the wilds of American primitive guitar, one where Dunn takes country music, strips it of all the folksy filigree and maps its ambient essence in noble detail.<\/p>\n

Between the crystalline acoustic fingerwork, the lingering bends of pedal steel and acres of atmosphere, this 11-song collection occupies a hypnotic frequency that dances a translucent line between melody and drone. Even without any of the obvious country frill, the album evokes Western vistas and wide frontier expanses, like vignettes of a quiet American magnificence that teeters between memory and myth. It\u2019s a work of guitar minimalism with a Jack Rose-esque balance of substance and ether.<\/p>\n

The inspirations for Dunn\u2019s album range from his recent travels out West to the pedal steel he acquired last year. But there are also some distinctly local influences at play here. \u201c[Robbie Basho\u2019s] Visions of the Country is an insane album Matthew Moyer recommended to me; it inspired a lot of this,\u201d says Dunn. Also, \u201cseeing Jonas van Den Bossche play acoustic sets helped me decide maybe people would listen to it if I did something similar\u00a0but more in tune with what I\u2019ve\u00a0been into.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dunn has heralded his solo career with a vision quest in search of not so much the style but the soul of Americana. With To Love and Leave America at the Same Time, he\u2019s tapped a rich, ancient vein and conjured a romantic American spirit that lives now more in lore than in real life. It\u2019s a nice thought, and a gorgeous soundtrack.<\/p>\n

To Love and Leave America at the Same Time drops Oct. 26 on Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. It\u2019ll also see limited cassette release on Orlando experimental label Cosmo Sonic Collective. The release show will be that very evening, where Dunn will perform alongside Tiger Beat, Van den Bossche and Thomas Milovac\u2019s Lustre Trio (6 p.m. Sunday, Casselberry Arts Center, $15 donation).<\/p>\n

Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow us:\u00a0Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0Bluesky<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0RSS Feed<\/a><\/p>\n

Related Stories<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Rico\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Lethal\u2019 in a good way\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Mythical\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tA deft balance of musical tradition and relevance\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"AFI\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tTR\/ST, an occasion in themselves, open\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

This article appears in Oct. 22-28, 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

\t