Andy Stack has rightfully earned a reputation as a generous collaborator and musical polymath, both as half of the beloved duo Wye Oak, and on the road and in the studio with Lambchop, Helado Negro, and EL VY. As a multi-instrumentalist and producer, he has an uncanny ability to construct the precise musical architecture to frame and support unique and compelling voices. With Release the Dogs, his debut solo record as Joyero, Andy puts his own voice front and center.
Today on Stereogum, he shares a music video for new song “Dogs” off Release the Dogs, out August 23. Watch it now, and pre-order the album on CD, LP, and burnt orange & black swirl Peak Vinyl in the Merge store, or wherever records are sold.
Stack on self-directing the “Dogs” music video:
I filmed this in the back of Wye Oak’s tour van in Durham, NC, as summer temperatures crept toward triple digits, so these dogs had no problem showing me their panting, slobbery tongues and beautiful white teeth. It’s a song about longing and control, love and danger, cages we are placed into and cages in which we choose to stay. I felt at home in this box, close cuddling with dogs and hens and tarantulas, delusional from the heat and happy to stay a little longer than was probably advisable.
Written and recorded primarily in Marfa, TX, during a transitional moment between records, cities, and relationships, Release the Dogs occupies its own liminal space between the natural and the man-made, between the structures we create to keep ourselves safe and the terrifying enormity that exists beyond them. Throughout the record, organic and electronic elements are seamlessly woven together into a single fabric that can be both intimate and explosive. As with Wye Oak’s best records, Release the Dogs finds its own unique voice by holding opposing ideas and aesthetics in tension with each other, and inviting the listener to find their own answer.
In case you missed it, listen to previously released single “Salt Mine.” Stack will be pulling triple duty at MRG30—performing sets with Joyero, Wye Oak, and Lambchop—prior to hitting the road for select shows opening for Fruit Bats, an appearance at Hopscotch, and a European tour supporting The Album Leaf. More dates and music to come, so follow Joyero on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for all the latest!
Joyero on tour:
Jul 19 Philadelphia, PA – Boot & Saddle^
Jul 27 Carrboro, NC – MRG30 [SOLD OUT]
Aug 08 St. Paul, MN – Turf Club*
Aug 09 Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall*
Aug 10 Indianapolis, IN – HiFi*
Sep 07 Raleigh, NC – Hopscotch Music Festival
Sep 25 Copenhagen, DK – Lille Vega%
Sep 26 Berlin, DE – Bi Nuu%
Sep 27 Leipzig, DE – UZ Connewitz%
Sep 28 Hamburg, DE – Elbphilharmonie%
Sep 30 Brussels, DE – Botanique%
Oct 02 Manchester, UK – Band on the Wall%
Oct 03 Bristol, UK – St. George%
Oct 04 London, UK – Union Chapel%
Oct 05 Paris, FR – La Maroquinerie%
Oct 06 Nancy, FR – l'Autre Canal%
Oct 08 Zurich, CH – Rote Fabrik%
Oct 09 Fribourg, CH – Fri-Son%
Oct 10 Milan, IT – Circolo Ohibò%
Nov 19 Asheville, NC – The Mothlight*
Nov 20 Durham, NC – Motorco*
Nov 21 Charlottesville, VA – The Southern*
Nov 22 Philadelphia, PA – Boot & Saddle*
^ w/ Will Butler
* w/ Fruit Bats
% w/ The Album Leaf
