Ordinarily, the cessation of a band would be an occasion for mourning, but when New York-based alt-country outfit Sue Your Landlord fizzled out, it was by no means the end of the road. Joining forces with songwriter Emily Cabarle, Nicholas Djukic Cocks (lead guitar), Michael McCanna (lap steel), Matt Shuham (drums), Angelo Ross (keys, backing vocals) and Freddy Haug (bass) teamed up to form brand new project, Dog Shaped. A phoenix soaring from the ashes Sue Your Landlord left behind.
We introduced the Dog Shaped sound back in June with a preview of their debut EP Reason, single ‘Please Hold’ “confront[ing],” as we put it, “the needling doubt of fearing you are too much for those around you while pining for acceptance and connection.” An embodiment of the emotionally resonant style of the band, the track sat somewhere between aching ballad and folk rock jam, utilising the full potential of its stacked line-up to conjure real detail and depth.
Now Reason has been released, it is clear the entire EP operates with this same combination of vivid atmosphere and raw delivery. Take ‘Transit’, a folk song which opens with all the hushed weight of an empty room. The intensity of the track ebbs and flows in line with Cabarle’s vocals but never quite spills over, lending a tension which further ups the stakes of the confessional, ruminative tone. ‘Isn’t It’ seems lighter at first but is by no means lacking in feeling, foregrounding more of a country twang, though it soon becomes apparent that tension is again a key facet. And, unlike its predecessor, this track is not unafraid to simmer over, the back half spiralling into something with tangible size and heft. Together, the pair of tracks serve as a great outline for Reason as a whole—held together by a sense of cohesion yet willing to push the boundaries of the Dog Shaped sound.
Reason is out now and available from the usual places.