Animal Collective, one of the more innovative and enduring acts to emerge from alt-pop in recent memory, is slowly becoming the centerpiece of a finely tuned machine. While members like Panda Bear and Avey Tare have been shaping solo discographies of their own for years now, other members of the forward-thinking collective are stepping into the solo spotlight. Geologist, the solo project of Animal Collective member Brian Weitz, has meticulously been shaping a sonic identity rooted in the ethereal mystery of experimentation.
After making his first venture into the Geologist discography with 2025’s A Shaw Deal, a collaborative effort between Weitz and Gang Gang Dance member Doug Shaw, the artist is finally prepared to release a proper solo debut. Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights? Out via Drag City, is a ten-song expedition into the creative personality of Weitz, an off-kilter hello from whatever cosmic landscape the artist occupies to find these hazy electronics mixed with industrial tendencies. This is not a debut album that rests on the laurels of his established name, nor does it feel the need to play into preconceived notions. Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights? is an unadulterated look into the warping creativity of a musician that requires an open mind to digest, and the fruits of the listener’s labor are well worth it.
These ten songs are far from the left-field pop Weitz has contributed to Animal Collective. Rather, Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights? leans to the post-punk side of the spectrum, employing searing distortion and alien-like tones to achieve rich, jagged soundscapes. There is an eerie, haunted nature to these orchestrations that can become overwhelming, as Weitz’s solo debut feels like a place to put his loftiest visions. Almost as if the artist is actively trying to avoid any comparison, Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights? leaps from risky yet fulfilling pieces to swelling beauty, giving the album a lack of consistency while maintaining Weitz’s overall vision; to capture moments of time, twist and bend them to squeeze out the finest details, and set it all to otherworldly melodies.
Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights? plays as if hallucinations from a psychedelic drug-fueled trip formed a band, and all you can do is put up blind faith that they’re going to play something worthwhile. Weitz toys with the looseness of his musical identity, as he shapeshifts from meditative guru to exploratory deity. The fact that a song like “Not Trad,” with its unrelenting, scorching tones that evolve into a cacophony of brass and synth, can find room next to the spiritual jazz-inspired bliss of “Color in the B&W” is a testament to Weitz’s fearless and wide-ranging artistry.
What the album lacks in sonic consistency, it makes up for in personality. Each of these songs is a microcosm of the larger picture this tracklist presents, each moment representing a side of Weitz’s persona. Moments like the hectic yet infectious “Pumpkin Festival” and the hypnotic “Government Job” whimsically juxtapose the explosive and grimy nature of songs like the welcoming chaos of “RV Envy” and the droning album opener, “Oracle Road.” The beauty is when Weitz’s worlds collide, and his natural prowess catches up to his grand sonic ventures, like on the album closer “Sonora,” or the two-part centerpiece that is the mesmerizing yet challenging “Compact Mirror / Last Names.”
Weitz’s proper solo debut under his alias Geologist is bursting at the seams with risks that yield great rewards, but with some expense. Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights? is an album one needs to sit with to understand fully, but even after every corner is explored and every nuance is perceived, Weitz’s vision becomes clearer. These ten songs represent a statement from an established artist, one that mocks expectations while possibly falling too far the other way, yet maintaining an undeniable individuality.
