Mad Dogs is the debut full-length from Louisville singer-songwriter Grace Rogers, released today on Sophomore Lounge, the label Rogers' fellow ascendant Kentucky roots-rocker Ryan Davis has been running for years. It's real good, folks.
The Bandcamp bio explains that Rogers has a pedigree; her great grandfather Charlie Rogers played guitar in the Depression-era bluegrass band the Kentucky String Ticklers way back in the Great Depression, and she herself has spent the past decade playing traditional music. Here, she "goes electric" so to speak, branching out into many kinds of folk, rock, and folk-rock sounds.
Backed by bandmates Ian Gordon, Chris Cupp, and Fiona Palensky, Rogers bends her traditional roots toward swinging indie-pop with lyrics like "I wanted to be that genre of man on Instagram" ("Tranquility"); glimmering "Weird Fishes"-esque guitar tapestries carrying "bitterness, frustration" in their current ("Mad Dogs"); and acoustic balladry that reminds me of Frances Quinlan channeling Grandaddy, singing about a banjo player who "played secular songs better than a man" ("Peachie"), among other excursions.
The shredding that closes out "Downstream" alone is worthy of your ears, but there's so much more lyrical and instrumental prowess to behold here. Rogers has the kind of talent and irrepressible personality that makes a singer-songwriter stand out in a crowded field. Stream Mad Dogs below.
Mad Dogs is out now via Sophomore Lounge. Purchase it here.
