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For the first time in almost a decade, brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith grace the cover of a Dawes record. It’s just the two of them this time, and as such, Oh Brother marks a distinctive new chapter for the California rock band — one that is both introspective and accessible, all while maintaining their beloved sense of sincerity.
After the amicable departure of two bandmates last year, Taylor realized that the group’s natural evolution was nothing to hide from Dawes’ dedicated fans. He likens it to looking back on The Rolling Stones’ career — eras with Brian Jones versus Ronnie Wood — or Dire Straits’ lineup with and without brothers Mark and David Knopfler together, or The Cure’s fluctuating cast encircling Robert Smith. People change. Music evolves. But a band is still a band.
“We’re not shying away from this information, because then it just seems cowardly or something,” Taylor says. “Rather than try to hide something, let’s celebrate it. Let’s call our record Oh Brother.” The title of Dawes’ ninth LP serves as a sort of double entendre too, an exasperated sigh acknowledging that change can still be challenging. “We’re gonna miss our dudes,” he says. “They’re still brothers.”
Still, Oh Brother steers Dawes decidedly forward, honoring 15 years of Taylor and Griffin’s musical relationship, as well as the next era of their band. That spirit informed much of the album’s writing and recording, too. Each of the nine songs began with just Taylor on guitar and vocals and Griffin on drums. They initially tracked each one live together, before adding in additional instrumentation and collaborating with touring guitarist Trevor Menear in the studio. Additionally, Oh Brother is the first record the brothers have co-produced, working alongside longtime friend Mike Viola.
Lyrically, the songs on Oh Brother encompass personal moments in their lives and larger ideas of what consistency and stability mean. “House Parties,” a musical sibling to 2015’s “All Your Favorite Bands,” came toward the end of the recording process for 2022’s Misadventures of Doomscroller. Shortly thereafter, “The Game” and “Surprise!” — a six-and-a-half-minute not-quite-center, centerpiece about life not going as expected — came as Taylor was settling into fatherhood. Elsewhere, “King of the Never-Wills” subtly addresses addiction and “Mister Los Angeles” serves as a sardonically satirical commentary on their hometown.
At this point in the Goldsmiths’ career, Dawes has cemented itself as one of the most earnest, no-bullshit musical acts out there. To some degree, Taylor acquiesces, “I definitely choose to believe that definitive work can always be out in front of us instead of behind us, but it’s also a fact that we have established a personality.” They’re a band that can move seamlessly between folk rock, piano ballads, and sprawling jams while maintaining both an immediately recognizable sound and a freedom from expectations.
Across its heartfelt songs — sometimes silly and sometimes serious, and all filled with sing-along choruses, deeply felt poetic lyrics, and sterling musicianship — Oh Brother highlights the band’s independence. Even as the Goldsmith brothers navigate new chapters in their personal and professional lives, they remain creative, ambitious, and inspired. “All you can really do is find out what are the most essential, truest, and idiosyncratic parts of yourself,” Taylor says. “And I like the fact that Griffin and I are kind of clinging to each other and holding on to each other more than we ever have. We’re grateful for each other in a new way. But we’ve also been through a lot.
“It feels like we’re reborn in a way, and I mean that with so, so much love and gratitude to everyone we’ve ever played with before! This is what it means to be a lifer, to have iterations. It means having phases and chapters, and this is a very clear delineation as to the beginning of a new one. So Oh Brother feels like a ninth record, but it also feels like a first record.”
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