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For Los Angeles-based quartet Return to Dust, 2026 has already been a year to remember. And with dates with Sevendust and Theory of a Deadman – as well as rescheduled shows with Yungblud – still to come, the buzz surrounding the band shows no sign of slowing down. We checked in with the guys ahead of their long-awaited (and sold-out) UK headline show in London. Get to know Return to Dust below.
M: Matthew Bielawski [guitar, vocals] S: Sebastian Gonzalez [guitar] L: London Hudson [drums] G: Graham Stanush [bass, vocals]
What are the origins of Return to Dust? How long have you been playing together?
M: Graham and I grew up in Texas and moved to Los Angeles in 2019 with nothing but our personals packed into two sedans. We wrote song after song during the pandemic and felt every experience of growing up in our 20’s in such a vibrant city together. Our efforts, along with the support of our producer Jim Kaufman, culminated in the debut LP ‘Return to Dust’. Around that time, London joined the band while doing some session work with Jim, after learning that our previous drummer abruptly quit. Similarly, Sebastian (16 at the time) discovered us playing in our garage while on a walk with his mom. As a band, we’ve been actively touring and writing together for nearly 3 years.
Modern-day grunge and alt-rock are just two of the tags that are normally attached to Return to Dust, but how would you describe the sound that the band makes? Lemmy did always say, “We are Motörhead, and we play rock n’ roll”, so that surely makes everything rock n’ roll?
L: We definitely pull from a lot of our grunge and alt-rock influences, but when it comes down to it, we don’t really think about genres or try to stay in one lane. We just want to make music that we’d actually want to listen to, and hopefully our fans will as well. We all bring different influences to the table, and I think that’s what makes the band what it is. We just want to write music that feels raw, intentional, real and gets us fired up.
How did you feel performing your first gig as a band, and how was it?!
S: The first show we ever performed was euphoric. I remember being nervous, and suddenly, when we started playing, it all went away, and for the first time in my life, I felt this animal emerge from me. From that day on, I knew this was the only thing I wanted to do in my life
How does it work having two lead vocalists? How do you work out who sings which parts?
G: We both write the songs, so it usually ends up being “whoever writes it sings it,” but in some cases, we write vocal parts that might fit the other person more. It’s really just song by song.
The killer new single ‘Sweet Escape’ is picking up a lot of traction. In what ways do you feel that the band has grown in the three years since the debut EP was released?
M: We see every release as a step in a new direction for the band, and ‘Sweet Escape’ is no exception. We have played over 200 shows since we released our first body of work, and have spent more hours together breathing each other’s musical air than ever. We’re evolving into a band that unapologetically lives their art, and will work as hard as possible to prove that we’re the real deal.
How did the gnarly cover version of Outkast’s ‘Hey Ya’ come about?
S: I was on a drive with my mom like 2 years ago, and the song just came up on my playlist. I remember listening to the lyrics and thinking about how Graham would write something like this, and he’d sound really cool singing it cause he tends to write our more melancholy songs. So when we were asked to do a cover, I threw that idea out, and also the vibe of [Alice In Chains’] ‘Rooster’ was thrown in as well, and it all just melded really well together.
What are your memories from earlier this summer, when the band played the UK & Europe festival circuit, including, of course, Download Festival? Are you able to stop and soak it all in, or does it pass in the blink of an eye?
L: It was definitely surreal. Growing up, I’ve watched so many of my favorite bands play festivals like Download, Hellfest, Rock am Ring, Rock im Park, and Graspop, so to be standing on those same stages with some of my best friends is something I’ll never take for granted. Tour can definitely fly by, but you have to remind yourself to stop for a second and take it all in. Those are the moments you dream about as a kid, and getting to live them now is crazy awesome. Can’t wait to be back playing these festivals again!
You are currently out on the road with Breaking Benjamin and Chevelle, hitting places like Belfast, Dublin, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, and London – that’s a lot of difficult accents to navigate!
G: Yes, definitely a lot of accents and slang to pick up on. We’ve learned a fair bit of little phrases around the world. It’s like we’re eating from an all-you-can-eat buffet of culture.
Even though the band are LA-based, Matty, you, and Graham grew up in the small Texas town of Midlothian. Did you detour through Midlothian in Scotland for a tourist pic on your way to the Glasgow gig?
M: We didn’t even know that existed. How vexing to hear! We will definitely be hitting it up next time we’re in the UK, although I’m 99.9% sure it’s gonna be more impressive than our hometown, AKA the cement capital of Texas.
What can anyone lucky enough to score a ticket for Return to Dust’s UK debut headline show at The Barfly in London expect?
L: The most badass live band they’ve ever laid eyes on.
Return to Dust opened for Yungblud earlier this year. What do you take from such an experience? It must have been surreal witnessing that fervour from close up?
G: Fervour is a fantastic word for what Yungblud brings every night. His energy is very palpable and contagious, and his fans are the same. Opening for him every night was no shortage of great hangs, great shows, and plenty of laughs. We hope it happens more often.
Are you back out with him for the rescheduled dates?
~Yes~
After a short break, you are back out on the road, this time with Sevendust and Theory of A Deadman – that’s an almighty triple bill right there! You must be counting down the days.
S: Oh yeah. I just wanna keep playing and not stop. It feels like skillfully we’re at our peak, and I don’t wanna go home and lose the momentum.
How is 2027 shaping up for Return to Dust?
M: We’ve got some incredible new music to share, with a whole visual world behind it that is going to shake up people’s idea of what RTD is (hopefully in a good way). and more tours than ever, in more countries than before. It’s onward and upwards.
Thanks! -RTD
Portrait photo credit: Briana Sista
Live images: Dave Jamieson
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