Not so long ago, the future of Lost Dog Street Band was uncertain. In 2022 frontman and songwriter Bejamin Tod announced that he was stepping away from touring. To many fans, it also sounded like the end of LDSB. And, in truth, it was. Tod and his wife and musical collaborator Ashely Mae were ready to retire the project altogether. However, after taking some time away they decided to keep things rolling. Today, they released “Brighter Shade” the first single from their forthcoming album Survived. Listen to it below.
Videos by American Songwriter
The aptly titled Survived hits shelves and streaming services on April 26 via Thirty Tigers. It truly is an album that almost didn’t happen. “I thought I was done with Lost Dog, but after recording my solo album, I looked over the songs that I had ready for a new record,” Tod shared in a press release. “These were songs for my band. I had to admit to myself that I wasn’t done with Lost Dog,” he added. “This record means everything. It just feels like salvation.”
Ashley Mae also spoke about the album in the release. “Benjamin and I, both individually and together, have been through some professionally grinding and demoralizing personal times over the past five years,” she explained. “To take a step back from that over the past year and realize, ‘Wow, we held it down and withstood that, and we survived that,’ was a really good, bright, shining moment,” she added. “It was the high point during a demoralizing time.”
Lost Dog Street Band Returns, Reinvigorated
Tod spoke briefly about the new Lost Dog Street Band album with American Songwriter. “The album, Survived, to me is a reclamation of my career and love for making music,” he said. “Just before this album’s formulation I had no idea if Lost Dog would put out another album or if I’d ever get on stage again,” he admitted.
“The entire process of writing and recording the record invigorated the band and helped me remember why I started this path as a writer and performer. I am steadfast as ever in my position as an artist and this is my greatest achievement in the form of a complete piece of work,” Tod explained. Then, about the lead single, he said, “’Brighter Shade’ is the punch in the face to open up the album and a notice to the industry that I’m back as the most authentic writer in the game.”
Lost Dog Took a New Approach to Recording with Survived
Before, members of the band would record their parts separately, then overdub them to create the finished product. This time, though, they went a different direction. Instead of doing everything in pieces, the band recorded the songs for Survived live in the studio. As a result, the songs on the album capture the energy and chemistry of Lost Dog Street Band like nothing they’ve released before.
Survived Tracklist
- “Brighter Shade”
- “Lifetime of Work”
- “Divine to Be”
- “Last Train”
- “Muhlenberg County Line”
- “Son of Tennessee”
- “Lonely Old Soul”
- “Hubbardville Store”
- “If You Leave Me Now”
- “Survived”
Featured Image by Starla Groves
