Slaughter Beach Dog at Manchester Academy
The last album from Slaughter Beach, Dog was a solo writing and recording effort from lead singer Jake Ewald, in the midst of the pandemic. Flash forward to 2023; live music is alive and well and the band have just released their latest album Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling. Just five days after the album's release, the band touched down in Manchester to begin the UK leg of their 2023/24 tour. So we headed over, camera in tow, to see how their signature indie rock style plays out in person.
Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling is a suitable title for a Slaughter Beach, Dog album. It’s become the signature style of frontman Jake Ewald to write candidly, emotionally and with a specific flair for turning the mundane into magic with his lyrical prowess. The title elicits a montaged image of life’s extreme emotions balanced against everyday actions; the first two words capturing heightened moments in time, while the second two feel more passive and familiar. It’s a relatable, wistful name and one that fits perfectly with Ewald’s songwriting as it plays out across the album’s 10 tracks.
Packed full of Americana imagery and reflective hooks, the band’s fifth studio album is perhaps the most sure of themselves they’ve ever sounded. A noticeable departure from Ewald’s former life in emo revival band Modern Baseball, Slaughter Beach, Dog began as a solo project that has slowly grown into a five-piece ensemble who deliver harmonious instrumentals while still allowing their frontman enough space to flex his creativity. The album in question is a shining example of this dynamic in practice. It opens on a laid back ballad – Surfin’ New Jersey – which tells a tale of surfing along the East Coast in an oddly meditative manner, illustrated by twangy guitar sounds, a steady drum groove and a chorus of distant humming. It's a warm, comforting welcome to the album and one that feels peaceful and optimistic.
The tracks that follow are similar in tone, with the odd song straying to more unfamiliar territory but with consistent undertones of a lazy afternoon in sun-dappled light. The second track on the album, My Sister is Jesus Christ, is one that packs more of a punch, with some unexpected lyrics referencing BDSM and Gatorade, and a playful, rock-inspired beat that sets it apart from the other slower tracks. In fact, the album’s pace slows as each song passes, with the more contemplative of the list, Easter, playing us out. The nine-minute epic, titled Engine, is the major player of the last three songs and is perhaps, what can be considered as Ewald’s masterpiece so far. The song plays with a metaphor that imagines the speaker as part of a van, travelling across America, winding in and out of bars, woods and family parties; “Maybe I was the engine” is a realisation presented to us in the third line, before the final line “The truth is, I live to roll over,” sends us into a 4-minute-long roaring instrumental. It’s triumphant and affecting and just as good live as you hear it on the album.
We had the pleasure of seeing Slaughter Beach, Dog live in Manchester just five days after the release of Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling. With an impressive back catalogue, it was hard to imagine how they would structure their setlist and how many of the newer songs will have earned a prime spot in their live show. As the band set up their own equipment onstage, you could hear murmurs of requests being discussed throughout the crowd, the most requested being a reworked version of the Modern Baseball song Intersection. However, this unfortunately did not make the cut.
Instead, they opened the show with two of their new hits, My Sister in Jesus Christ and Strange Weather, before diving into some older material, including songs such as Black Oak and the crowd pleasing Acolyte. Despite the majority of their set being made up of songs off the new record, the band’s encore entirely consisted of old favourites that feature Ewald’s spoken word style of performing. Their final song, 104 Degrees, saw their performance unravel gloriously. What was initially quite a tame show descended into an energetic onslaught of a jam session, where all awareness of the crowd seemed to disappear as Ewald, bassist Ian Farmer and guitarist Adam Meisterhans, fed off each others energy and, supported by drummer Zack Robbins and Logan Roth on keys, focused entirely on putting on a show.
The most enjoyable aspect of the show, however, was witnessing the Manchester crowd enjoy these songs that had only been released five days prior, and, in turn, observing the band's reaction to the audience singing along. Stand out lines from the new album about My Chemical Romance t-shirts and "getting my groove on" were sung with enthusiasm and met with smiles from the band in response. It was a testament to Ewald as a songwriter and a celebration of live music at it's best; bringing together an audience of like-minded fans and a delivering a show that felt like catching up with old friends. A 10/10 from us.
