dr.rift

About

Whether it’s the setting sun or starry skies, crisp breezes on calm nights, or existential questions that linger just beneath the surface, Kyle Halldorson is moved by the world around him.

Best known for his mastermind role behind the head-spinning Dizzy Mystics (WCMA’s 2020 Metal & Hard Music Artist of the Year), the Anishinaabe/Celtic musician uses his art as an expressive outlet, casting emotions and experiences through rhythm, melody and groove, weaving plights, paradoxes and cosmic complexities like the ways of life.

The end of relationships, death of his father, knowing what home was and leaving it behind, and the challenges that came with the pandemic and a violently changing world had Halldorson seeking to make sense of it all.

In the split – gap – Rift that remained in his life, he had a rushing in of ideas. From them came a batch of songs that shone with the light of his healing, searching heart.
What ensued was a sprightly and introspective blend of folk, funk, space, psych, alt-rock and prog – his sonic reaction to the mourning, struggle, and celebration of his loved ones and their shared experiences, and the uncertain life he was yearning for / stepping into.

Kyle's new solo project, dr.rift, is explorative and kinetic, intricate and eccentric, vulnerable and driven, a space where his struggles with anxiety and self-doubt, and dedication to learning from loved ones and others, are paired with a joy and motion akin to a hard-fought life worth living.

Dr.rift is Halldorson in search of his essence. The songs – hypnotic, energized, expansive, and hook-fueled – and lyrics – cryptic, considerate, surreal and symbolic – match the range of influences they were wrought from, and find an artist delving deeper into his true self.

Always refining and expanding his craft, dr.rift’s future debut record will showcase Halldorson’s evolving sound, one that will only continue to broaden and bloom as he figures out this strange, painful, beautiful thing called life.