Animal Collective’s Geologist Shares “Tonic” Single and Solo Album Details

Geologist releases first solo album through Drag City. The record arrives January 30, 2026.

Title: Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights?
Artist: Geologist
Release Date: 2026-01-30
Genres: Avant-garde, Experimental Music, Post-punk, Psychedelic Rock
Label: Drag City
Description: Geologist releases Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights? on Drag City January 30, 2026. New single "Tonic" available now.

Brian Weitz, who performs as Geologist, has been active in experimental music circles since adolescence. He co-founded Animal Collective with Noah Lennox (Panda Bear), Dave Portner (Avey Tare), and Josh Dibb (Deakin) in Baltimore in the late 1990s. Weitz typically handles sampling, electronics, and sound manipulation in the group’s live performances and recordings. He has appeared on all Animal Collective studio albums since Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished (2000) and has toured extensively with the band. His prior solo work includes the Meets the Light EP (2010) and the Red Hill Peak collaboration with Grouper in 2019. He grew up in Philadelphia and studied Environmental Science at Columbia University, later obtaining an MPA in Environmental Policy from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. He has worked on ocean conservation and environmental policy.

Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights? is Weitz’s first full-length solo record. The album centers on hurdy gurdy played through amplification and effects, combined with analog synthesizers and live drums. The approach follows an encounter Weitz had at Tonic in New York in 1998, where he watched Keiji Haino perform on the instrument. Weitz initially attempted to develop a drone-based hurdy gurdy set for touring but shifted direction after learning about Greg Ginn composing guitar parts over drum machines.

The single “Tonic” features overdriven hurdy gurdy lines layered with analog synth textures. Dave Portner plays bass on the track. Alianna Kalaba, who has worked with FACS and Cat Power, provided drums. The piece takes its title from the venue where Weitz saw Haino perform.

Other contributors to the album include drummers Emma Garau and Ryan Oslance, who has played with The Dead Tongues and Indigo De Souza. Shane McCord of Sham plays clarinet. Mikey Powers recorded cello parts. Adam Lion appears on vibraphone. Weitz’s son, Merrick Weitz, plays acoustic guitar on “Government Job.”

Adam McDaniel recorded and mixed the album at Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville, North Carolina. Molten Synapse directed the video for “Tonic,” which is available now. The album will be released on vinyl, CD, and digital formats through Drag City.

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