Billie Marten, five albums deep and still only 26 years old, continues her creative tear with ‘Dog Eared’, her most striking evolution in sound yet. Recorded in New York with producer Phil Weinrobe and a stellar cast of collaborators including Sam Evian and Dirty Projectors’ Maia Friedman, it offers a deliberate departure from the stark intimacy of her earlier work.
Where previous albums showcased isolated vocals and solitary guitars, ‘Dog Eared’ unfolds across a series of lush, collaborative arrangements that toy with jazz, folk and Americana. Crown, a brilliant two-minute meditation on love and identity, and No Sudden Changes are prime examples, while closer Swing bursts with indie-rock vitality.
What emerges most clearly, though, is a sense of maturity. There’s confidence to these compositions, particularly on the standout Leap Year, where Marten fuses a narrative of fleeting love with remarkable vocal control.
Each track demonstrates meticulous attention to detail, revealing an artist who is fully focused on assembling songs that are both musically adventurous and emotionally resonant.
But, curiously, this is both a strength and a limitation. These songs can feel like expertly crafted portfolio pieces — immaculate demonstrations of craft that seem designed to win awards rather than hearts.
Longtime fans might view this polished approach as an undercutting of the raw emotional impact behind past releases. Listening, for example, feels like experiencing an oddly comfortable sort of chaos — it’s impressive and skilful, but has little of the directness that has always made Marten so compelling.
But perhaps that’s the point. Fitting into Marten’s mile-a-minute approach to writing, ‘Dog Eared’ doesn’t read like a definitive statement, more like essential groundwork. The experimentations and stylistic swagger suggest she is positioning herself for something greater. This may not be her masterpiece, then, but it suggests one isn’t far away.
Billie Marten Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed November 05 2025 - DUBLIN Vicar Street
Thu November 06 2025 - BELFAST Music Hall
Fri November 07 2025 - GLASGOW SWG3
Sat November 08 2025 - NEWCASTLE Newcastle University Students Union
Mon November 10 2025 - NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms
Tue November 11 2025 - BRISTOL Electric Bristol
Thu November 13 2025 - MANCHESTER Manchester Academy 2
Fri November 14 2025 - LEEDS Leeds Irish Centre
Sat November 15 2025 - LONDON O2 Forum Kentish Town
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