In the years between Slingshot Dakota’s last album, 2012’s Dark Hearts, and their new one, the band’s two members — Carly Comando and Tom Patterson — got married. Their partnership marks a refreshing change of perspective for Break. It’s a record that doesn’t shy away from the potential for fracture in our lives, but it also doesn’t dwell on that possibility. It approaches love on a scale that doesn’t tip too cynical or idealistic. These aren’t songs about finding the right someone — that someone’s already been found, and Break tries to deal with the conflicting emotions that come along with settling down, and the struggles of approaching the world as two adults attempting a go at something resembling a normal existence.

On “Paycheck,” Comando accepts that working from paycheck to paycheck sucks — especially life as a full-time musician, which both members are as of Break — but that, despite the hardship, it’s worth it because she’s found the right person to fail and try again with: “Let’s just stop pretending we have nothing in common/ I’m sick of our excuses, so it’s time we drop them.” “Lewlyweds” recounts the time when the two of them moved in together and got bed bugs, a familiar and terrifying side effect of domesticity: “This is not the way that we imagined/ The way we thought it’d go.”

The record is bookended by two tracks that express utmost devotion. Opener “You” is a lurching trip down memory lane, which ends with a pointed vow: “I never thought we’d make it/ Maybe we never will/ But I’ll never trade a second that I’ve lived living with you.” Closer “Break” takes all the bundled energy of its counterpart and lays in out in post-rock ballad form: “In the end it’s the two of us/ It was always the two of us/ Clasp your hand inside of mine/ We fell in love at the right time.” Slingshot Dakota isn’t a band that believes in destiny, but they do recognize that finding the right person at the right time can make all the difference. Break relishes in those moments where everything feels alright, when you can envision spending the rest of your life with someone and tackling whatever comes your way together. Listen below.

Tour Dates:
03/15-20 Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/21 Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone
03/22 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
03/23 Indianapolis, IN @ HiFi
04/01 Brooklyn, NY @ Aviv
04/02 Philadelphia, PA @ Everybody Hits
04/03 Long Island, NY @ Amityville Music Hall
04/05 Chapel Hill, NC @ The Station
04/06 Charlotte, NC @ The Station
04/07 Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern
04/08 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
04/09 Gainesville, FL @ Boca Fiesta
04/10 Orlando, FL @ Olde 64
04/12 Lafayette, LA @ JP’s
04/13 Houston, TX @ Walter’s Downtown
04/14 Austin, TX @ Monkey Wrench
04/15 Fort Worth, TX @ 1919 Hemphill
04/16 Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
04/19 Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
04/20 San Diego, CA @ Che Cafe
04/21 Los Angeles, CA @ The Hi Hat
04/22 Fresno, CA @ Peeve’s Public House
04/23 Berkeley, CA @ 924 Gilman
04/24 Sacramento, CA @ Cafe Colonial
04/26 Portland, OR @ Family Reunion
04/27 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
05/01 Omaha, NE @ Milk Run
05/02 Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
05/03 Bloomington, IN @ The Void
05/04 Columbus, OH @ Donato’s
05/05 Cleveland, OH @ Mahall’s Basement
05/06 Rochester, NY @ The Bug Jar
05/07 Toronto, Canada @ D-Beatstro
05/08 Montreal, Canada @ Quai des Brumes
05/10 Winooski, VT @ Monkey House
05/11 Dover, NH @ Crawl Space
05/12 Allston, MA @ O’Briens Pub
05/13 Providence, RI @ AS220’s Main Stage
05/14 Bloomfield, CT @ Bloomfield Village Pizza

Break is out 3/11 via Topshelf Records.