Matt Patershuk
DOG. TIGER. HORSES.
Release Date: September 19, 2025
Produced By: Steve Dawson
Recorded In: Nashville, TN
Streaming links for this album coming soon
Matt Patershuk’s music lives in a world that’s passed by. His songs come
out of a place where time has slowed way down, where there’s always an opportunity to smell the roses, kick the tires before buying, and use an old screwdriver instead of a power tool to fix what’s broken.
“DOG. TIGER. HORSES.” is the La Glace, Alberta native’s sixth album, marking his first release since the critically acclaimed “An Honest Effort”, which earned Patershuk a songwriter of the year nomination at The Canadian Folk Music Awards, came out in 2021. The ten new songs that make up “DOG. TIGER. HORSES.” continue the music dialogue between Patershuk and Steve Dawson, the Juno winning, Nashville based guitarist and producer who’s been riding shotgun with him since the beginning of his recording career.
The songs on “DOG. TIGER. HORSES.” bubble with an organic energy that comes from recording spontaneously and mostly live off the floor during three sessions in Nashville. Like Matt, Steve and the top notch musicians that he gathered for the session favor an approach that relies on feel and authenticity, rather than perfection. The core band of Jeremy Holmes (bass), along with Matt and Steve Dawson (acoustic/electric guitars, pedal steel), were joined by Jay Bellerose (drums and percussion), who dropped in during a break in the Robert Plant/Allison Krauss tour, and Tim O’Brien (fiddle, mandolin) - a legend in the bluegrass world who has a knack for bringing traditional sounds into the 21st century, play with an ease and confidence that makes the listener feel like they’ve been playing these songs for their whole lives rather than creating the music as it unfolded in the studio. Along the way, Fats Kaplin (fiddle, mandolin) Dave Jacques, Mike Bub (bass) and Justin Amaral (drums) dropped in to create some tasty understated rhythms on a few tracks, while Ruth Moody and Ana Egge added background vocals to sweeten “Good Dog” and “Cutlass Supreme”, respectively.
Matt has always been a great singer and songwriter, gifted with a warm voice and natural musical intuition. He never over thinks a lyric or pushes a melody. When he sings it, a line such as ‘if you love me, why do you want to make me cry?’, takes on a gravitas and authenticity that would completely elude another artist. Whether he’s singing about a loyal dog departing, an unrequited love, or the miles disappearing under the wheels of a fast car on a good road, Patershuk’s songs glide along as naturally as the situations he describes.
For his old fans, the album’s new material travels through terrain that is both familiar and brand new. Listen to “Good Road”, “Fast Car”, “Blown Horses”, or “Brown Pony”, and you’ll hear that these are songs with movement in their bones.
Powered by a loping staccato beat, “Good Road” could be a Johnny Cash outtake from his Sun Records heyday . With a lyrical nod or two from the Monroe Brothers thrown in, listeners can be sure they’re in good hands. “Tiger Plays the Saxophone” showcases Patershuk’s impeccable timing and interplay with the other musicians, and is a master class in phrasing and delivery. “Fast Car” communicates a sense of yearning reminiscent of a young Bruce Springsteen, and “Blown Horses” is the kind of world weary country song that we don’t hear enough of these days.
Comfortable and perfectly worn in like the seats of the 1982 Cutlass Supreme he sings about, the music on “DOG. TIGER. HORSES.” won’t change the world, or save you money on gas, or stop climate disaster. Operating completely outside of time and fashion - with no algorithms in sight - these are songs that were built with humans in mind. They are priceless snapshots reflecting the small moments we all share. Brought to life by one of Canada’s unsung musical heroes, they will not discolour or fade as the years go by.
Comfortable and confident, “DOG. TIGER. HORSES.” is a welcome addition to Matt Patershuk’s impressive catalogue of music. Strap yourself in and enjoy the ride.