Slaughter Beach, Dog goes full steam ahead on new single “Engine”

Slaughter Beach, Dog have shared their last single “Engine” ahead of their upcoming album Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling due September 22 via Lame-O Records. “Engine” holds a special place in the Slaughter Beach, Dog canon, especially for frontman and songwriter Jacob Ewald who has struggled with the song’s true meaning since he first etched out the lyrics and put pen to paper.  

Ewald walked through the ambiguous nature of the track in a recent press release saying, “This song keeps changing for me. First, I didn’t think it was about anything. Then I thought it was about the van. Then I thought it was about [Slaughter Beach, Dog bassist] Ian [Farmer], and I couldn’t figure out why the guitar solo kept making me cry. Outside the Sinclair in January, I saw a flyer for a house show and remembered how long we’ve been doing this. Then my heart was in my shoes. Ten years of thinking a different life was right around the corner, selling off all this heavy machinery and making spreadsheets for somebody, futzing with chicken wire, everything more simple. Lately this song feels like a eulogy for the change that never came. Ten years gone and I’m still squirming under freedom’s thumb, too easily forgetting rock’n’roll, my great hulking vessel, a framework to swing from, a history to make home inside of. I’m still finding myself inside this song, still learning to accept that I lived it.”

With each single leading up to Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling, the band hinted at the themes of fear, gratitude, acceptance, and growth that “Engine” so perfectly ties together. It captures the pensive moment that Ewald realized that he could be a career musician; that his fears of having to put down the guitar in exchange for a briefcase and tie would never come true. “Every record is about growing up- we all have to get a little older before we make the next one” said friend of the band and The Hold Steady songwriter Craig Finn. Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling examines a particular weightlessness that is part of spreading wings, putting down roots, trying to grab ahold of something. This is how it feels when you’re making the moves that you make while becoming the person that you’re going to be.”

Slaughter Beach, Dog sets out on a US headlining tour later this month following the release of Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling on September 22. Philly eagerly awaits their return home in November as they are set to play The Fillmore on November 18, tickets on sale now. Check out the full list of tour dates below.

11/1 – Buskirk-Chumley Theater – Bloomington, IN
11/2 – The Bluestone – Columbus, OH^
11/3 – Axis Club – Toronto, CA^
11/4 – St. Andrew’s Hall – Detroit, MI^
11/5 – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL
11/6 – First Ave – Minneapolis, MN
11/8 – The Gothic – Englewood, CO^
11/9 – The Granada – Lawrence, KS^
11/10 – Delmar Hall – St. Louis, MO^
11/11 – The Basement East – Nashville, TN^
11/12 – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA^
11/14 – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC^
11/15 – The Fillmore – Silver Spring, MD^
11/16 – Roadrunner – Boston, MA^
11/17 – Webster Hall – New York, NY^
11/18 – The Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA^
1/04 – House of Blues – Houston, TX#
1/05 – Paper Tiger – San Antonio, TX#
1/06 – Emo’s – Austin, TX#
1/07 – Tulips – Dallas, TX#
1/09 – Meow Wolf – Santa Fe, NM#
1/10 – 191 Toole – Tucson, AZ#
1/11 – The Van Buren – Phoenix, AZ#
1/12 – Observatory North Park – San Diego, CA#
1/13 – Theatre at The Ace Hotel – Los Angeles, CA#
1/14 – The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA#
1/16 – The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA#
1/17 – Crest Theatre – Sacramento, CA#
1/19 – Revolution Hall – Portland, OR#
1/20 – The Showbox – Seattle, WA#
1/21 – Rickshaw Theatre – Vancouver, BC#
* = w/ Mo Troper
^ = w/ Bonny Doon
# = w/ Sun June