Spotlight: Slaughter Beach, Dog Finds Space for Perspective in New Music, Tour & More
ACKNOWLEDGING CREATIVITY AND REJUVENATION IN ONESELF AND THEIR MUSIC — is something we all can relate to. Creating the everyday and reinventing the way music is to the listener and the artist, Slaughter Beach, Dog does simply that. Jake Ewald, former frontman of Modern Baseball hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, set out to create something new from the ground up. With such an eccentric name, Ewald gives insight into how it came about. “My parents were living in Delaware, and I would go visit them from Philly,” he begins. “There was a beach between Philly and my parents house called ‘Slaughter Beach,’ which I thought would be a great name for a band. I reserved the Bandcamp and then didn’t start the band, then a year or two later I felt it was time to start.” When first diving in, Ewald discovered other bands with the name Slaughter Beach, so he quickly realized that the name needed something to differentiate from the others. So, “Dog” was added to the end, and it essentially stuck after that. With a name change and a renewal of his sound, Ewald created Slaughter Beach, Dog.
In conversation about the process of starting the band, Ewald explains, “I went into Slaughter Beach, Dog with zero expectations. I didn’t think I was gonna be a full time musician.” Without these expectations, this allowed Ewald to flourish in the new music the band is creating. He finds this same notion when writing, as well. “[With writing,] it depends: it either comes when it wants to come — and usually in those moments it's nighttime and I am at home and I have to go do something — but I start writing a song by accident.”
However, Ewald changed this process for the band’s latest record, At The Moonbase (2020). “With this last record, I ended up writing a lot of songs by waking up in the morning, brushing my teeth, making some tea, and just going straight to the computer to write lyrics without music,” he describes. “I would try to mime some personal experience and let it morph which way it wants. Without fail, though, as I kept typing, I would kind of start to hear a melody in my head or chord progression. It doesn’t feel very romantic, but it works for me. If I like the words, I can focus on the music.” This has been Ewald’s preferred method as of late, and it looks as though it is working out very well for him. He explains that he doesn’t mind taking the time to make a record, as well. “It was really nice to take my time with Moonbase in 2020, and I would love to keep that going,” he says. “I just have that space for perspective.”
Ewald continues, stating that he is making the most when he is making music, but is trying new methods with his songwriting. “I do feel really grateful all the time,” he explains. “I feel like I have a lot more perspective than I used to, which is helpful for writing songs. My brain feels different than it used to, and writing songs is the main thing I have to do with my brain. It’s uncharted territory.” Though that doesn’t mean Slaughter Beach, Dog won’t be releasing any new music soon — Ewald talks more about the possible release of something new within the coming new year. “We’ll probably put out a couple songs next year, but I think we will spend most of next year making an album,” he shares. “We [had] been working on an album, but once we had to start prepping for shows, that kinda took over. I have a bunch of songs; we jammed probably four or five of them. I am excited to spend some more time in the studio after we get back from this tour.” Ewald is incredibly excited about the new things that are happening with Slaughter Beach, Dog, and is looking forward to jumping into touring soon.
With more success ensuing, the band will be embarking on a tour with Jeff Rosenstockfor the rest of the fall and beginning of winter. “I am really excited to go on tour with Jeff,” he says. “I am so grateful our first tour back and our first big tour in a long time is with Jeff and Jeff’s band, because we go way back. They're just our people, and it’ll be really nice to do this experience that I am sure will be super overwhelming. I am so grateful we get to do it with them and I am so grateful they asked us to come. So I am really excited.” You can catch Slaughter Beach, Dog and their dynamic sounds on tour this fall and winter supporting Jeff Rosenstock. You can find the tour dates on their social media platforms and website, and be on the lookout for new releases from them next year.
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