Photo Credit: Cara Robbins
Beloved Los Angeles band that dog. — comprised of guitarist/vocalist Anna Waronker, drummer Tony Maxwell, and bassist/vocalist Rachel Haden — will release their first new album in twenty-two years on October 4, 2019 via UMe. The record, entitled Old LP, was recorded over the last three years in Los Angeles, and features guest appearances from Maya Rudolph, Randy Newman, Graham Coxon (Blur), Josh Klinghoffer (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Charlotte Caffey (The Go-Go’s), Tanya Haden (The Haden Sisters), violinist Kaitlin Wolfberg, Andrew Dost (fun.), and Steve McDonald (Redd Kross).
A first taste of the album, a totally classic that dog. song, titled “If You Just Didn’t Do It,” picks up beautifully where the band left off in the late 90’s; click HERE to listen to it. The album will be released digitally and on black vinyl. Preorder now here.
that dog. came of age in the 90’s, releasing three critically-acclaimed albums on DGC/Geffen Records between 1993-1997, and toured with artists such as Beck, Weezer, Jawbreaker, Blur, Foo Fighters, The Amps, Wallflowers, and Counting Crows, in addition to opening for Johnny Cash at Carnegie Hall.
The idea to regroup for a new album was inspired by the energy of their 2011-2012 reunion shows, as the trio rediscovered the joy of playing together and observed the fervent reactions of their fans. The reunion shows were the spark they needed to start recording again, but from there, it was a slow and deliberate process. “By the end of 2012 we had four songs done,” recalls Waronker. “In 2013, we had a few more. We needed time to let it grow into what it would become. Sometimes it’s hard to get there. Which is kind of the theme of the album.”
Across its eleven songs, Old LP is full of all the sounds that made that dog. one of the most amazing bands of their time, including interlocking vocal melodies, hooks-on-hooks, sweet orchestration, and Waronker’s signature guitar tuning. There’s the unshakeable tension between sweetness and dissonance, between dark and light, between life-or-death seriousness and tongue-in-cheek wordplay. But with two decades of life experience behind them, the dynamics of that dog. are now notably more stark and sophisticated, layered and multi-dimensional.
Old LP was made on stolen time, moments snuck here and there when Maxwell would visit Los Angeles from New York, where he had established himself as a creative television executive. It was an arduous, years-long process, but the time and space afforded the group more leniency to slowly rebuild their band. And while a number of these new songs sound perfectly at home in the that dog. discography, there is experimentation in new directions, too.
For starters, Old LP finds Waronker composing and arranging orchestral instrumentation for the band for the first time, additions that are all over the album: violin, cello, piano, upright bass, horns, woodwinds, many of which are performed by friends and family.