Back in 2022, we wrote about Here You Are by The Roof Dogs, an album on Earth Libraries which pushed the boundaries of garage and slacker rock. The vibe was typified by single ‘Weather’, where carefree rhythm and slacker cool drew the listener into “a specific moment,” as we wrote, “a vignette brought to life with careful detail. Legs sticking to leather sofa cushions. Oil pastels. Yesterday’s Globe and Mail.”
But gradually the song deepened and mood darkened. “Each time the chorus circles around, the scene deepens, slowly turning the crank of the moment to twist its edge,” we continued. “Grandpa reading aloud from the newspaper. A printed letter addressed to a killer, a mother writing to a strangler of teenage girls.” The stakes seemed to heighten with every cycle, with “agency evaporating into something more ominous,” as we concluded. “People governed by powers beyond their control.” Not the usual slacker subject matter, but Here You Are showed that while The Roof Dogs are experts at sunny garage rock, there is so much more beneath the surface.
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The Chicago band have now returned with ‘Tinsel Chapel’, a B-side to Here You Are which allows The Roof Dogs to show off yet another dimension of their sound. Namely a more placid, reflective aesthetic which draws on dream pop and psychedelic influences. The vocals are softened into this hazy soundscape, making for a vibe simultaneously nostalgic and mindful of its immediate surroundings. Fitting for a song about the power of simple beauty and the joys of free time. A song perhaps slacker at heart after all.
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‘Tinsel Chapel’ is out now via Earth Libraries.
