Dust Cwaine shares new single, “Little Plans” from forthcoming album, Twin Lakes
Vancouver drag performer and indie pop-rock artist Dust Cwaine is stepping into a bold new chapter with their forthcoming album Twin Lakes. Following the joyful synth-pop of their first single “Little Plans,” Dust’s latest release, “Twin Lakes,” dives into raw vulnerability, exploring themes of isolation, grief, and healing. Blending confessional songwriting with striking visuals, Dust continues to carve out a unique space where drag artistry and music collide. We spoke with Dust about the inspiration behind “Twin Lakes,” the upcoming album, and the journey that ties it all together.
Twin Lakes” feels incredibly personal, drawing from your rural upbringing and the passing of your father. What was the emotional process like for you in writing and recording this track?
When we wrote “Twin Lakes,” I was ready for the subject matter, but that readiness wasn’t me putting on a brave face. I cried through 90% of the creation of this song. Josh Eastman, who produced the track and the record of the same name, was such a support, sending me for walks and hugging me. We both knew that as an artist this was the song I had been chasing since we started working together in 2020, months after my dad passed. Empathy while making music is so healing. I took a lot of time with the song before anyone else heard it. “Twin Lakes” to me is very specific, but I hope to other queer folks from small towns it is a metaphorical stand-in for whatever place made them feel isolated.
The video for “Twin Lakes” was shot at the Britannia Mine Museum, which has such a striking, industrial atmosphere. What drew you to that setting, and how do you feel it complements the song’s themes?
I really like how the soft, colourful, dramatic nature of my drag appearance is starkly juxtaposed with the industrial setting. I love contrast, and I think this song has a lot of that. It’s a catchy, painful song about a past that needs to be remembered. The mine also has a painful past that needs to be remembered. When we started writing the song, I told Josh about this process my therapist and I would do where we would imagine my traumas and such as Artefacts in a museum, part of me but not me. So when Luke Beach Brown, the director of the video, and I started planning, I suggested I reach out to Derek Jang at the Museum, and he was so unbelievably supportive. It was such a juxtapositional atmosphere. Many of the themes overlap in a unique way. I am telling my history in the song… and the museum stands to tell history. Think of it as a very, very unique assist.
Your first single from this record, “Little Plans,” radiated joy and celebration, while “Twin Lakes” shows a much more vulnerable and cathartic side. How do these two tracks reflect the range of stories and emotions we can expect on the album?
The duality of the record is in plain sight. I chose these two singles to show you the two lakes. The stories range from anger to apathy, to jealousy and joy. There’s a shift at a certain point in the album, and that to me has symbolized the part where I went to therapy and my perspective changed. I am not without the pain now – I just have the tools to face it. Each song explores pain in a unique way because each song is an artefact of me and my experience. I am a very optimistic person, very jovial and fun, and I have this inner world I wanted to translate out of me. I am very excited because there are some really fun, unique songs on this record.
You’ve described your sound as “nostalgia pop-rock navel gaze.” How does your forthcoming album Twin Lakes expand on that description, and in what ways do you feel your drag artistry and your music intersect on this project?
Navel gaze is hilarious to me. My friend Natasha said it to me when I released my first record, and it is very accurate. I have a deep love of being excessive in the exploration of my own thoughts and feelings. Translating that into music is really fun because I can layer in nostalgia from the time period of those feelings to try to recapture them for a new audience. A lot of this album references a corner of music in the late 90s alternative spaces that I love. Drag to me is a vessel to vulnerability. It actuates my traits and makes me larger than life. I think that’s what keeps my music grounded. Drag kind has its own reputation in music that I never resonated with. I really like being an indie pop rock darling in a dress.
With nearly a decade in Vancouver’s drag and music scenes, you’ve built a reputation for both fearless performance and raw songwriting. Looking ahead to the release of the Twin Lakes album, what do you hope listeners take away from this journey back to the place that shaped you?
I hope people take away a big bouquet of tiger lilies. They grow wild on the banks of Twin Lakes. They symbolize strong will, resilience and protection. It’s my hope that people who listen to the album find a similar strength in themselves to find the tools to be present with their story. My family, my mom specifically, has been unbelievably supportive of me creating and putting out this record. I knew my vulnerability is somewhat hers as well.