Kelly, Ruston
Shape And Destroy
Rare & Collectible Vinyl Records

Sealed 2020 standard black vinyl pressing. No hype sticker. "Shape & Destroy arrived in August of 2020, not long after Ruston Kelly announced his separation from his wife Kacey Musgraves. Given this public turmoil, there may be a temptation to view Kelly's second album through this prism, finding hints of heartbreak scattered throughout its 13 songs. That's not an accurate way of viewing the album, though. Musgraves appears on Shape & Destroy, for one, and while there is a freeform melancholy floating throughout, the record is a balm, something to soothe during troubled times. Many of its songs are about interior journeys, a sentiment that neatly dovetails with how the album represents the first time Kelly recorded music while sober. Certainly, Shape & Destroy is markedly more focused than its 2018 predecessor Dying Star, less likely to drift into a neo-psychedelic haze. Kelly remains enamored with music that seems designed to soundtrack the twilight. Apart from the sharply honed lyrics, every element on Shape & Destroy is appealingly hazy -- tempos are slow and lazy, and guitars provide a soft bed for Kelly's leathery voice. All this adds up to an album well-suited for moments of introspection, moments when a listener is searching for sustenance and reassurance somewhere outside of themselves." All Music Guide - Stephen Thomas Erlewine