“Generally, I feel frustrated because there’s a lot of this escapist stuff going on in rock and roll,” says Murphy. “I just didn’t want to not talk about my frustrations with what I was seeing around me. I have two little girls now, and I’m just thinking about where things are going. Love in my life has changed everything.”
While the album on a whole is about love, there’s an unmistakable anger boiling under the surface. Murphy captures the life-altering glory of finding real love on “Sick in Bed” and “Easy Coming,” and speaks to that special unbridled brand of parental love on “Mother.” But the highs exasperate his counterbalancing frustrations. He sings with poetic pointedness about the casual racism his girlfriend has faced on “Cinder” and how we’re all ruining the planet his daughters will inherit on “Underground (A Love Sleeps Deep).” He further lets his political feelings be heard on the distorted (literal) barnburner, “Soviet Barn Fire.”
“Easy Coming” is the first single from A Love Sleeps Deep, the new album from ,
Recorded in Seattle in the spring of 2017 with production wizard Erik Blood (Shabazz Places, Tacocat, THEE Satisfaciton), A Love Sleeps Deep is also an album of collaboration. The band seemingly threw each tune up in the air to see how it bounced around the room, making sure everyone got their hands on it. From around 30 initial demos, Blood helped select the most jam-heavy numbers. “They had that vibe that made me love the band in the first place, but with a weathered distinction and confidence that moved me,” says Blood.
What has The Moondoggies found inside of themselves in the years they’ve been gone that makes A Love Sleeps Deep stand out? What’s come to the forefront?
“Rawness,” says Blood. “Like a monster singing lullabies.”
With the passage of time, the band feels more comfortable in its own skin. Carl Dahlen’s drums sonically lead the way, crafting a stellar template for everyone else. Dahlen’s rhythm section cohort, bassist Robert Terreberry, further helps lock in the grooves over Caleb Quick’s keys. In addition to lead guitar work, Jon Pontrello taught himself pedal steel since the last record, and it’s intentionally not employed (as a matter of band philosophy) on the more country-leaning tunes, instead adding a more cosmic feel to the heaviest tracks.
A Love Sleeps Deep, the new album from The Moondoggies, out April 13th, 2018
The Fat Angel Sings 
I got to see Kevin Murphy play a solo set at the end of last summer. He’s a really great songwriter, and I’m excited their back with a new record.