| Old LP | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | That Dog |
| Cover: | that dog. - Old LP.jpg |
| Alt: | A simple crayon drawing of a face |
| Recorded: | 2016–2019 |
| Label: | UME |
| Prev Title: | Retreat from the Sun |
| Prev Year: | 1997 |
Old LP is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band that dog., released on October 4, 2019, by UME. The album is the band's first since their 2011 reformation and was met with universal acclaim from critics.
Songwriting for Old LP began in 2012 and recording, funded in part via Kickstarter, began in 2016 after that dog.'s 2011–2012 tours. Former band member Petra Haden declined to participate in the recording of the album. The album was preceded by the 2015 single "Mean What I Say", recorded with Andrew Dost.
Old LP was released by UME on October 4, 2019, marking the band's first album in 22 years. The lead single from Old LP, "If You Just Didn't Do It", was released in August 2019, and the music video for "Just the Way" debuted two days before the album's release. A tape edition of the album was released for Cassette Store Day in 2019.
Reviewing for The New York Times, Jon Pareles said, "The music is denser and more intricate, conjuring symphonic grandeur alongside overdriven noise. The jokes are gone; the stakes feel higher. But the band's underlying moxie hasn't changed." AllMusic reviewer Heather Phares highlighted the stylistic diversity of Old LP and said, "All of the time invested in the album pays off richly: Old LP shows how that dog. has grown into their legacy". Maura Johnston of Pitchfork praised the band's mix of pop sensibilities and rock performance: "Old LP works because its growth doesn't pander to modern notions of 'cool.' But the way the band re-balances the grime-vs.-grandiosity equation with each song demonstrates that when it comes to musical math, the proof matters as much as the outcome." Nina Corcoran of The A.V. Club wrote that the band "commit to graceful indie rock and poppy alt-rock, but sound happiest when revisiting the jubilant pop-punk hooks of its heyday".
For The Line of Best Fit, Alex Wisgard praised Old LP for expanding the band's sound and found that it "is so assured and confident, it's easy to imagine another two decades of additional back catalogue we simply never heard". Scott D. Elingburg of Under the Radar called the album "a steady, hard-won set of songs that unfold after many, compounded listens". In his Substack-published "Consumer Guide" column, Robert Christgau found that the melodies range from "catchy to exquisite" and, "though the hyperconscious lyrics often seem constricted, resentful, unresolved, the music lifts them up, and then the title finale lifts the whole album up." In Paste, Ben Salmon concluded that that dog. "were—and are—a band that offers a unique voice within their field, and it's wonderful to have them back".
All tracks are written by Anna Waronker.
Credits for Old LP adapted from album liner notes.
That Dog
Additional musicians
Technical personnel