Last month, Winnipeg roots music duo the Bros. Landreth released their fourth and latest album Dog Ear. 

The album by the two-time JUNO award winning brothers Dave and Joey Landreth is an intimate celebration of love, and not only the romantic kind. In a press release, the brothers stated that the record is about refuge and “finding home in people you love.”

This is quickly established with the first track, “Sunrise, Sunset.” Featuring only acoustic guitar fingerpicking beneath a solo voice, the opener is a bold and unexpected move but sets the tone for the softer quality of the album. 

However, the Bros. Landreth quickly switch gears and venture into country with “I’ll Drive,” a lively and retro-sounding country rock song about the usual topics — a love interest, boots and cars. The electric guitars (with heavy use of the wah pedal) and electric organ are reminiscent of the brothers’ earlier works. 

“Vincent,” described as the “emotional centerpiece of the album,” is an upbeat and tender track about platonic love — a theme too often overshadowed in songwriting. According to Dave, the song is about loving someone despite their stubbornness and not knowing when to move on. The deep bond can be seen in the lyrics “And I’ll stay here on the phone / So you don’t have to be alone” and “Oh, I’m dying trying not to let you go.” 

Dog Ear’s title track is the most sentimental track on the album, bordering on being maudlin with soft vocals and soundscapes. By comparing himself to evergreens and shores “when big oceans swell,” the singer underscores the theme of being someone’s unwavering safe haven. The metaphor “When you get lost in that story again / I’ll be the dog ear, my friend” is so simple yet oh-so sweet.

“Knuckles,” which features acclaimed American roots singer Bonnie Raitt, is a slow but heartfelt 6/8 ballad about speaking your mind. Interestingly, the song does not end in the home key, creating a feeling of suspense and incompleteness. 

The album concludes with “Strange Dear” featuring Winnipeg singer Begonia. It uses rich, dreamy and breathy harmonies and a bell-like backing track, tying back to the atmospheric quality of the album’s opening track. Once again, the idea of refuge is driven home with the imagery of stormy weather and a lighthouse.

Dog Ear is an introspective and pensive album that exposes the more vulnerable facet of the Bros. Landreth, with upbeat and rowdier tracks sandwiched in between. Its lyrics are beautifully evocative and saccharine, though they can sometimes be minimalistic to the point of being abstract. Nonetheless, Dog Ear’s authenticity and theme of genuine friendship is undoubtedly a breath of fresh air in today’s music scene. 

Dog Ear by the Bros. Landreth is available on all major streaming platforms. For more information, visit
thebroslandreth.com.