Dr. Dog Finds ‘Talk Is Cheap’ On Anthemic New Single From 1st Album In 6 Years

Watch the Wyndham Garnett-directed video for the lead single from the band’s forthcoming new self-titled LP, which arrives on July 19.

By Scott Bernstein Apr 24, 2024 11:18 am PDT

Dr. Dog announced details of a self-titled new album set for release via We Buy Gold Records on July 19. The Philadelphia-based band previewed Dr. Dog — their first LP since 2018 — by dropping its captivating lead single, “Talk Is Cheap,” along with an accompanying video.

Dr. Dog — bassist Toby Leaman, lead guitarist Scott McMicken, rhythm guitarist Frank McElroy, keyboardist Zach Miller and drummer Eric Slick — decamped to a Pennsylvania cabin for five days to begin work on their 11th studio album. The band recorded direct to McMicken’s 8-track tape machine without any rehearsals or overdubs. “For this record there was an emphasis on creating something very soulful and live-feeling, which meant starting with all of us looking each other in the eye and connecting to the music,” explained McMicken in a press release. “The idea was, ‘Let’s be loose, let’s not overthink.’ The more you can let go of that fear of being imperfect, the more you open yourself up to deeper expression.”

Advertisement

After laying down approximately two songs in the rural and intimate setting, the members of Dr. Dog each wove in new parts to the original recordings separately at home. Then, the quintet assembled at their Philadelphia studio for one last phase of sessions to complete the 11-track follow-up to 2018’s Critical Equation.

Scott McMicken served as producer, a first for him on a Dr. Dog record, with Grammy-winner Matt Ross-Spang handling the mix. “I moved to Asheville a while back and built a little yard-shed studio that’s changed my whole perspective on music,” McMicken added. “Because you’re in a shed, there’s no pretense that what’s happening is very serious—but over time, that sense of playfulness ends up allowing for more serious things to happen. When we started planning this new album, it felt right to try to merge my universes and make a Dr. Dog record the same way I was making records every day in my backyard.”

The incredibly catchy “Talk Is Cheap” was written by Toby Leaman. “It’s a song about my wife and how much I rely on her, how she’s always there for me,” he noted. “It’s funny because I’m not a big love-song guy, but everything I wrote on this album is for her.” The Wyndham Garnett-directed video features footage from the session at the cabin where the album was started.

Watch Dr. Dog’s “Talk Is Cheap” video below:

Loading tour dates

Advertisement

Dr. Dog Tracklist

  1. Authority
  2. Lost Ones
  3. Fat Dog
  4. Talk Is Cheap
  5. What a Night’ll Do
  6. Tell Your Friends
  7. Still Can’t Believe
  8. Fine White Lies
  9. White Dove
  10. Handyman
  11. Love Struck
JamBase Collections