You always have to feel sorry for those bands that suddenly make a complete departure for a different genre than what they started with and inevitably face huge backlash from fans. The quality of the new work is never truly ascertained because fair opinions of it end up buried underneath furious fans who can’t handle change or don’t like the new genre/style and can’t give a fair look at the new material by itself.

The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa started off as a shoegaze/noise pop group and made a sudden shift to downtempo, presumably latching onto the booming scene in the late 90s/early 2000s. Whether they were trying to capitalize on possible success or the band genuinely enjoyed downtempo music and wanted to try their own hand on it, I can’t say, and I honestly don’t give a fuck as long as the music’s good.

Which it is. In Dust 3 is a great downtempo album with mysterious female vocals and eerie alien ambiance. Cold beats and strange sounds popping up at random make this album an engaging listen. I love the harp in “Ikarie XB1.” Recommended to downtempo fans—not shoegaze fans. Lucky for me, I’m a big fan of both genres! Don’t let the album’s poor reputation turn you away, as it isn’t all fair judgments.

Well, to be fair: this album is at least 10 minutes longer than it should be.

11/29/2025: I just realized the album title, In Dust 3, is a pun on the word “industry.”