MJ Lenderman, Animal Collective, Fust, and More Contribute to Drop of Sun’s New Benefit Comp ‘We Love It Here.’

Today, Fust released a new album called Big Ugly, their second to be recorded at Asheville’s Drop of Sun studios with producer Alex Farrar, and we interviewed them about it. In the final quarter of 2024, it seemed we got a great new album that was recorded there every other week, including the latest records by MJ Lenderman and Horse Jumper of Love. Fust, MJ Lenderman, and Horse Jumper of Love all appear on We Love It Here., a new compilation put together by Drop of Sun to benefit Lamplight AVL, a non-profit organization supporting artist communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. It also features unreleased music by Animal Collective, Squirrel Flower, Reggie Watts, Green-House, Sophie Thatcher, Maral, Nightlands, Hello Mary, and Floating Action.

“The remarkable breadth of these previously unreleased tracks reflect Drop of Sun’s core principle of fostering an environment for artists to freely and boundlessly create,” Drop of Sun founder Adam McDaniel said in a press release. “Being a resource to the Asheville arts community has yielded wonderful, long-lasting relationships, amazing songs like these, and a platform to communicate and cope during hard times. We are thrilled to share these exclusive songs with you.”

You can buy We Love It Here. at Bandcamp. The vinyl edition closes out with an exclusive bonus track by Animal Collective. “By buying this album, not only will you enjoy special songs by spectacular artists, you will make a direct and concrete difference in our artistic community,” McDaniel added. “So from our hearts, thank you so much for your love and support. We hope you will visit our beloved hometown soon.”

We Love It Here. A Benefit Compilation for Lamplight AVL by Various ArtistsWe Love It Here. A Benefit Compilation for Lamplight AVL by Various Artists