Some musicians can’t stop creating. Case in point: less than a year after the latest TWINS album, Joel Sires is releasing “Dog Years,” his first solo EP.
Sires began working on the new EP almost right away after TWINS finished their last album, “Dream On.”
“I really tried to grow as a songwriter and push us a little further with ‘Dream On,’ and unfortunately it prolonged the process as I searched for something that was new and inspiring to us,” said Sires. “Afterwards, I knew going into ‘Dog Years’ that I wanted a fresh and loose approach.”
“Dog Years” was recorded live in the studio in order to reduce the amount of time spent “second guessing decisions,” according to Sires. For the EP, Sires was backed by The Basic Band, which he calls “the Midwest version of the Wrecking Crew, or Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.”
“Dog Years” was produced by Seth Luloff, who also mixed, engineered, and played drums on the EP. “It’s just as much his album as it is mine, he just mixed my vocals higher,” said Sires, with a laugh.
In advance of the EP’s official release, Sires has released a music video for the song “Prisoners.” The video features lead roles by Sires’ brother, Harper, and his nephew, Max. Dylan Sires, a cousin to both Joel and Harper, directed the video.
“Dylan conceived the video with an eye towards nostalgia for the past, when a person looks back on the small moments of growing up,” said Joel Sires. “It’s about realizing time isn’t something we can ever get back, and that we are living breathing representations of our past loved ones, and to the folks who contributed to our upbringing.”
“Dog Days” will be released on April 15 on all major streaming platforms, as well as via digital download at Bandcamp, and on vinyl at independent Iowa record stores. It’s the first release on Seeder Records, founded by local hip hop artist Sotr.
“Sotr’s motivation behind it is to support Iowa artists who are out there working hard for themselves, and could use some help getting music out there,” said Sires “There’s not a lot of folks putting their money up to help other people get their music made. I’m honored to have the inaugural release.”
Joel Sires will be playing some small shows in the coming months, including two digital streams hosted by the Englert Theatre on May 12, and Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center on June 3.
