Review: My Girl The River’s Brand New Single ‘Sad Dog’

‘Sad Dog’ is the new single from ‘My Girl The River’, the artist release name of Kris Wilkinson and partner Joe Hughes, following the much-lauded album ‘Cardinal in the Snow’, released last May.

The album showcased Wilkinson’s gentle but affecting vocals, with arrangements spanning Americana, folk and southern gothic, and these elements all feature in her latest release. Marking the first anniversary of the passing of her mother, ‘Sad Dog’ deals with her processing of grief, and moving to a deeper understanding of how such loss affects us all. There is beauty in the melancholy atmosphere created, notably as daughter Ruby and partner Hughes, who also contributes bass,  provide fine harmonies, taking the listener to more optimistic place.

The ‘Sad Dog’ of the title is Wilkinson’s naming of the presence of grief and sadness, the dog becoming a less frequent visitor, Wilkinson stating that ‘( it was) as if someone else needed it more’.

While Americana roots are at the forefront, an almost hypnotic arrangement owes much to ethereal production, including the ‘found sound’ of a buzz saw. A moving song which remains with you long after it’s last notes have faded.