(self-released, digital)
Roost.World’s Zaq Schuster recently told Seven Days, “Ideally, if we’re doing our job right, no one can say our stuff is just one thing.” It’s safe to say they’re doing their job right, because the post-punk-pan-electronic-dance-techno duo has repeatedly avoided settling on a sound. A slow, tectonic drift carried them from 2019’s new wave-nodding EP Self-Titled to the buzzing danceteria of Q.D.A., their first full-length release.
Originally known simply as Roost, Schuster and bandmate Mike Harris are an important pair in local nightlife, helming production company Burlington Electronic Department. They make good on their club-kid image on this 10-track, sample-saturated set.
In some ways, Q.D.A. is the band’s most uniform release. It’s all dance, all the time, though Schuster and Harris aren’t beholden to any one subgenre. It would be dramatic to call them EDM iconoclasts, yet they don’t seem to revere anything but the beat.
After a bit of throat clearing and mood setting on opener “K?,” subsequent track “Genesis” also takes some time to work through a series of bass, synth and drum ideas before realizing how well they go together. As the elements lock in for a brief, thrilling moment, they hint at the hedonistic heights Roost.World are capable of — and where the record might be going.
“Pop Star Club Night” unveils Schuster’s signature vocal and lyrical styles. A little mumbly and a lot murmur-y, the singer always seems to be mid-thought, like we’ve been dropped into a stream of consciousness.
“Don’t get it twisted, man,” Schuster says in a blasé tone before making it known that “Pop stars are in the club tonight” and warning that “Everybody wants to be there” but it’s “So much money — too much for you.” The track seems to be an indictment of velvet ropes and VIP areas, precisely the kinds of things the inclusive-minded Burlington Electronic Department strives against.
At times, Q.D.A.’s samples can feel distracting, such as the instantly recognizable hook from C+C Music Factory’s “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” on lead single “Literally Everybody.” But most of them add important context, as on the same track when a voice declares, “I don’t need your approval to be here,” before another says, “It’s not my job to make other people feel comfortable about who I am.” It’s an unmistakable come-as-you-are manifesto.
Most consistently, Roost.World are indelible beatsmiths and vibe curators. Throughout the record, they create a heady mélange of telephonic synths, sandpaper beats, belching bass and cryptic messages. Roost.World make listeners feel like coconspirators, drawing them in with liberating music and insider intimacy.
Q.D.A. is available at roost.bandcamp.com and on major streaming services.
This article appears in March 25 • 2026.
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