Dusty Sequoia is the Eugene, Oregon songwriting project from Will Angarola, a Los Angeles-raised multi-instrumentalist who is currently finishing his senior year at University of Oregon. His recent album “Mud,” released July 22, 2026, features 12 tracks of DIY indie rock with an alt-country slant perfect for fans of Elliott Smith and the Flaming Lips. Self-produced with the help of Bill Angarola, “Mud” was fleshed out with a small circle of Eugene collaborators that includes Steve Mugalian on drums and Aedan Seaver on violin.
On lead single “Kicking Rocks,” we take a minute to note the importance of both timing and self-awareness as we struggle to make sense of a life full of mixed messaging.
Try to forget
That thing they said
Building a nest
For living in my head
Feel so ashamed
How hard it is
To turn a new leaf
When they're all dead
With a focus on the acoustic guitar, this track successfully enshrines the veritas of a living room performance against the warmth of modern production techniques, adding layers of vocal harmony and acoustic rhythm to an episode of personal reflection via opportunistic solitude. “Kicking Rocks” carries that mark of revelation, perhaps; the realization that the majority share of an artist’s work is purely contemplative. Yet, the final messaging we get from this mid tempo acoustic rocker is simply one of breaking out of a daily routine into something more fulfilling, and perhaps slightly more absurd. This instinct to embrace life at its most farcical is a poetic one, and one that tends to follow youth. Thus, somberness is a symptom of old age.
Dusty Sequoia doesn't have that problem. He's just taking a minute in the parking lot to think about the one that got away.
Will Angarola is no stranger to Hollywood. As a teenager he played Kirk in Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza (2021), and co-wrote two songs performed in the film by the fictional band "Daddy Dookie and the Fun House."
Dusty Sequoia Bandcamp homepage:
https://dustysequoia.bandcamp.com
Licorice Pizza cast and soundtrack: