Dog Eared
| Dog Eared | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 18 July 2025 | |||
| Studio | Sugar Mountain (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn)[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:24 | |||
| Label | Fiction | |||
| Producer | Philip Weinrobe | |||
| Billie Marten chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Dog Eared | ||||
| ||||
Dog Eared is the fifth studio album by British singer-songwriter Billie Marten, released on 18 July 2025 by Fiction Records. Five singles predated its release, starting with "Crown" in October 2024.
Background and recording
Marten wanted her fifth album to feel more like a collaborative effort with her fellow recording musicians, with producer Philip Weinrobe calling for "live takes, intuition, and no headphones."[1]
The album was inspired by Marten's nostalgia for various childhood memories. The song "Leap Year" was inspired by a fleeting love, while the song "Feeling" touches on memories of Marten falling deep into her father's large hands, hiding at the top of stairs, and driving toy cars in patterns around her grandmother’s rugs."[2] [3] For the album's fifth single "Swing", Marten aimed to create a sound where Meat Puppets meets The Breeders.[4]
The album's title was inspired by Marten's love for "underlining, scribbling in the margins, and folding down the corners of pages in her favorite novels."[3]
Packaging
The album's cover was painted by Brazilian-born painter Daniel Borgonovi, who painted the image only after having heard the album. The painting depicts a portrait of Marten without eyes, which reinforces "the idea of her feeling her way, sharpening her ears and relaxing into the sonic cues".[1]
Critical reception
The album was met with positive critical acclaim upon its release. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, the album received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 from four critic scores.[5]
The Independent's Helen Brown gave the album a five-star rating, stating: "Given time and attention, the confident craft of the songwriting and mellow musicianship will sink their grooves into the soul."[1]
Henry Dunn of Indie Is Not a Genre gave the album a 4 out of 5 star rating, saying, "With Dog Eared, Billie Marten folds the corner of a defining chapter in her career. Her voice remains the emotional anchor, but it now moves within a broader, more textured sonic space—one that embraces collaboration, complexity, and risk."[2]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Billie Marten.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Feeling" | 3:20 |
| 2. | "Crown" | 2:20 |
| 3. | "Clover" | 3:30 |
| 4. | "No Sudden Changes" | 3:44 |
| 5. | "The Glass" | 3:45 |
| 6. | "Leap Year" | 5:45 |
| 7. | "Goodnight Moon" | 4:27 |
| 8. | "Planets" | 3:39 |
| 9. | "You and I Both" | 4:05 |
| 10. | "Swing" | 2:45 |
| Total length: | 37:24 | |
Personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.[6]
- Billie Marten – vocals (all tracks), guitar (tracks 1, 3–5, 7, 8)
- Philip Weinrobe – production, mixing, engineering
- Josh Bonati – mastering
- Michael Haldeman – guitar (all tracks), drum machine (2)
- Michael Coleman – synthesizer (all tracks), electric piano (3, 5, 6, 9), vocals (3, 10), electric guitar (4)
- Joshua Crumbly – bass
- Vishal Nayak – drums
- Núria Graham – vocals (1–5, 7–10); bongos, guitar (1); piano (2, 3, 7–9)
- Mauro Refosco – percussion (1, 3–10)
- Adam Brisbin – pedal steel guitar (1), guitar (2, 3), bass (7, 9)
- Shahzad Ismaily – guitar (4, 5)
- Sam Owens – guitar (6, 8), vocals (8, 10)
- Maia Friedman – vocals (6)
- Sam Amidon – fiddle (10)
Charts
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[7] | 16 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[8] | 46 |
| UK Americana Albums (OCC)[9] | 2 |
| UK Folk Albums (OCC)[10] | 9 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[11] | 4 |
References
- ^ a b c d Brown, Helen. "Billie Marten's Dog Eared is a brilliant, soothing album with a sense of looming danger". The Independent. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
- ^ a b Dunn, Henry. "Billie Marten's Dog Eared: A Broader Canvas for an Enduring Voice". Indie Is Not a Genre. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
- ^ a b Lemmon, Kyle. "Billie Marten, Dog Eared". Flood. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
- ^ Solomon-Brady, Harvey. "Billie Marten shares new single 'Swing' ahead of fifth album Dog Eared". Why Now. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
- ^ "Dog Eared - Billie Marten". Metacritic. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
- ^ "Dog Eared / Billie Marten / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ^ "Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
- ^ "Official Folk Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 July 2025.