in earnest Releases 'your dog / good boy' + Q&A.
Written + Interviewed by: Christina Morgan
Although humble in following, UK-based band ‘in earnest’ have something pertinent to say. The band’s most recent work, ‘Your Dog/Good Boy’ is set to release on March 12th of this year. With a rather melancholic melody, ‘your dog/good boy’ digs deep into personal turmoil and dealing with loss. It explores the feelings of loneliness, emptiness, and the struggle of parting ways with a close pet. ‘Your Dog’ seems to resemble the earlier and more works of alternative/indie bands like Little Image, more specifically, ‘Prin’ and ‘Bottles’ from the Musings EP.
By choosing the route of expressing something quite tragic through a musical avenue, they are able to convey something that nearly everyone can relate to. We’ve almost all at this point in our lives lost a family member, friend, pet, etc. and know the different ways we all chose to cope with it. As most artists do, they’ve chosen to use an art form they are most familiar with - music - to truly bring some kind of catharsis and grief stage - as any artist would might that be through painting, photography, poetry, etc.
What was the writing process for the ‘Your Dog/Good Boy’ like, and did it serve any kind of closure for you?
Tom: I wrote the main bulk of ‘your dog’ while sitting on the floor with our dog, Murph. It’s a summation of the questions I’d love to be able to ask her if she could respond, and the chorus is what I think her reply would be - all she truly wants is to live in the moment and to be with us.
Sarah: With ‘good boy’, the process of writing was complex. I originally had a song a few years back about adopting our other dog Doug but it never truly felt finished. Doug passed away just over a year ago, and one evening I heard Tom playing ‘your dog’, so I used that as momentum to work on ‘good boy’. By writing that song I allowed myself to grieve and process my feelings of loss, but I was also able to explore that lyrically and find a new perspective on losing a loved one.
What do you think are the most important aspects that people get out of the songs?
Tom: I hope that listeners can tune in to the stories we are telling and feel the meanings of our words materialise. The raw, intimate nature of our recordings mean that everything is laid bare, and you’ll be able to hear our chairs creaking and Murph’s collar jingling as she walked around during the recording. We recommend listening on headphones, with your pets held close and we hope that you live in the moment (like Murph!) for those six minutes.
Do you think the themes presented are something that most people can relate to?
Sarah: Although the songs are literally about our dogs, they could also be read into more broadly. The core emotions in the two songs, happiness and grief, are felt by us all and most should be able to relate to their sentiment. The coupling is almost like a celebration of light and dark, embracing whatever feelings and emotions present themselves, living in the moment and being grateful for our relationships (whether they are with our pets or fellow humans!).
What do you think the reception/impact of the song will be like once your fans hear it on March 12th?
Tom: In terms of production, these singles really contrast with our debut EP which was much more laden with effects and layering of instruments. But for these new songs, we decided to strip everything back to basics and embrace a more homely, organic style. We think that people will enjoy hearing the different side to ‘in earnest’.
Do you have anything else planned for the near future, after the release? (i.e. music videos, other singles, etc.)
Sarah: We have recorded EP2 which we expect to release later in 2021, but we are likely to focus on writing lots of new material and gathering as many demos as possible. Hopefully we will play a gig one day!