Longwood Debut
Celebrating more than three decades together as a band, alt-rock group Guster has landed a series of hits on the Billboard charts, launched their own music festival, and amassed an ardent fanbase partly on the strength of their relentless touring and deeply communal live show.
Having created enduring songs like Amsterdam, Satellite, and Do You Love Me, their newest album, Ooh La La, serves as their ninth studio LP, revealing a band fully in touch with the voracious creative energy that first inspired their formation.
A major leap forward for lead vocalist Ryan Miller, guitarist Adam Gardner, drummer Brian Rosenworcel, and multi-instrumentalist Luke Reynolds, Ooh La La ultimately matches that wide-eyed spirit with a newly heightened sense of confidence, conviction, and commitment to the raw sincerity that’s made them so beloved.
“In all the time we’ve been together we’ve never really felt our age as a band—we’re still so hungry, still excited to create,” says Gardner. “A lot of people have told us they’re amazed at how democratic our process is, but I think that’s a big part of why we’re still able to open up this space where the ideas just flow. It also helps that we’ve built a relationship with our fans where there’s a real sense of trust and a desire for us to keep growing and keep pushing ourselves. It’s such a gift that allows us to be truly free, and to make whatever music we want to make.”
The follow-up to 2019’s Look Alive, Ooh La La marks a bold departure from its predecessor—a sonically adventurous and electronic-leaning effort made with producer Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, Regina Spektor). This time around, the band worked mainly with producer Josh Kaufman (The National, The Hold Steady, Bonny Light Horseman), holing up at Isokon Studio in Woodstock and carving out a lush and expansive sound rich in acoustic guitars and graceful piano work. With additional production from Ron Aniello (Bruce Springsteen) and Rich Costey (Death Cab for Cutie, Of Monsters and Men), Ooh La La endlessly radiates an undeniable warmth, even as its songs delve into the more daunting aspects of living in modern times.
While their audience has grown exponentially since Guster got their start playing in dorm rooms at Tufts University in 1991, they’ve sustained an extraordinarily strong connection with their fanbase over the years. To that end, one of Guster’s most cherished endeavors is the On The Ocean Festival—an annual event that began in 2017 in Gardner’s adopted hometown of Portland, Maine, with a reunion-like atmosphere and an eclectic mix of performers including Bahamas, Lucius, Madison Cunningham, and Shakey Graves. “We feel lucky that we’ve created a dynamic where there’s no real separation between us and our fans—we’re all part of a community, and it’s theirs just as much as it’s ours,” says Gardner.
In addition to their work in Guster, Miller scores films and TV shows; Gardner runs REVERB, a nonprofit dedicated to environmentally friendly touring; and Reynolds writes and collaborates with artists like Regina Spektor, Sharon Van Etten, and Neko Case.