It’s not that Duane Hoover lives in the past; it is just that he knows there are great sonic building blocks to be found there, inspirations and foundation stones that enable him to deliver music that is creatively seasoned by the past whilst single-mindedly heading into the future. And if, as they say, music is cyclical, if all things come back into fashion eventually, then it makes him simultaneously fashionably behind the times and brilliantly ahead of the curve!
“After the Storm in Your Mind,” his latest single, certainly feels that way, a slowly paced, musically poignant, creatively poised piece that shimmers with psychedelic vibes, echoes with resonant surf guitar lines, and feels a bit like a trippy TED talk.
Hoover’s music is always hard to pin down, never more so than here as he steps deftly through 50’s twang, the dark underbelly of the Summer of Love, 70’s experimental psych-pop, and even punk’s attitude of never taking the path you expect.
He’s a man out of time, and without the burden of fad, fashion, or audience expectation, he simply makes the music he wants to make rather than feeling he has to deliver a certain sound or style. How liberating is that?
