DustBowlChampion (DBC) began in the Fresno bedroom of Jaron Delacruz during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by post-punk pillars such as the The Cure, Joy Division, and The Smiths, alongside hypnagogic indie artists like Ariel Pink and John Maus, DBC delivers hypnotic, minimalist music for those who dance in the darkness while wearing a cowboy hat. If you like your guitars with extra twang, your vocals submerged in reverb, and your drum machine propulsive, you might like this project’s wistful, Western lo-fi darkwave.
A guitarist, bassist, and keyboardist, Jaron Delacruz composes and produces all of DBC’s songs solo. However, on tour (as of 2026) he’s joined by Maximus Aldaz and Adam Lopez (both members of TooManyFaces) on synthesizers, and Ryan Slade on guitar (member of hardcore bands Killing Capacity, Pollution of Soul, and Across Life).
DBC’s first extended tour outside California occurred in 2024 as support for fellow post-punk project, Blood Club. DBC’s then headlined their own “Law & Order Tour” the next year, with L.A. bands Casket Cassette and Floats as openers. In 2026, they headlined their “Be the Cowboy Tour,” with San Antonian band Night Ritualz and Baltimore band Computer Kill. DBC’s also performed besides several other groups from the Southwest’s rich post-punk scene, from 60 juno to past self to Secret Attraction. What started on SoundCloud and one show in a thrift shop has spread across continental America’s many darkly-inclined clubs.
As for the project’s unusual name, “DustBowlChampion,” Delacruz selected the moniker because it reminded him of a gamertag. It has no connection to the Southwest’s arid landscape nor the historic storms, although could it also be a reference to the classic “Team Fortress 2” map, cp_dustbowl?
