Tower Brothers | All The Dogs | New EP Review

September 7, 2026 Jason Shrum

There is an EP out now that I have been wanting to explore for over a month and I am finally getting around to it. I tell people constantly to “slow down and listen to the music that surrounds you”. Yet, sometimes I find myself going two-hundred miles an hour chasing down the music. So it was time for me to slow down for just a few minutes and relisten to the tracks that were sitting in my inbox since late July. The record is from the band Tower Brothers and it was certainly worth visiting again. I remember feeling that this 5-track project was really well polished and the first word I associated with it when I peeled off my headphones was “wholesome”. It was the only word I had written in my little red notebook. I suppose I got distracted. However, I am sitting down with the record “All The Dogs” at this moment and my initial report, while brief, was a very good start.

The band is originally from Boston, but has made a home in Nashville and is on the label Red Guitar Music. RGM is a record label based in the Music City and founded by Travis Fairley of Catchfire. Signing with the label means full service. RGM handles A&R, booking, publicity, recording, mixing and producing. I have had excellent music pushed my way by the label including Catchfire, Carl Pariso, and Daisy Sellas. The band under my current light is made up of the brothers Jackson Tower (Keys / Bass / Vocals / Guitar) and Owen Tower (Guitar / Vocals), alongside friends Thomas Prescott (Guitar) and Quinten Cohen (Drums / Vocals).

Tower Brothers have blended alt rock and indie rock with some noticeable electric sounds that sit well with really good songwriting and some terrific harmonizing. They mention influences from Cage the Elephant, Pink Floyd, Genesis, and Foo Fighters on their website. I can certainly hear those sounds in their work, however, sonically, their music is refreshing. It has a touch of the classics and a hint of modern tech, but it is not overdone and most importantly it is not pretentious. The five tracks released also work well together. Sometimes I get EP’s that are non linear and it’s just a bunch of songs stuck together because the band had extra b-sides. I feel like the tracks being recorded for “All The Dogs” were meant to be together.

The first song on the album is ‘Bianca Oblivion’ and it is by far the most electro-forward track on the EP. There is a long fuzzy built up in the intro that has that psychedelic foothold that draws you in and then the guitar beats pounce upon you. The toe-tapping and body movement from listening is inevitable as a narrative about chaos and a dystopian future is unfolding. The drum beat solidifies a racing heartbeat tone and carries that motif forward as the lyrics kick open a story of our lead character. There is a guitar humming like a broken neon sign at a rundown motel just off the highway. Under that a twinkling of synth/keys that garners notice. It’s spacey and futuristic sounding with really great drumming that fires off an uptempo stride. A great opening track with layers of sound.

‘The Plan’ comes next with a sombre honesty and reflective theme. I love the lyrics, “I swear there’s something about nothing that freaks me out/ Slow down, it’s harder to ignore/ I’m scared my purpose ain’t worth it, might cost my soul.” The vocals are in the forefront of this track, as it is the words that command attention, but the musicianship is very much apparent. I dig all the aspects that the players lend in creating this piece. Especially at around the one minute mark there is a really cool interlude of keys and guitar that jounces back and forth as the song progresses into the next block. Individually, that snippet doesn’t work, but in the totality of the song it is the perfect break. That rumination of regret creeps forward again with metaphors of “ghosts” and delusions woven into the landscape of the writing. There is definitely a plan, but ultimately no resolution for the narrator. Not yet anyway.

‘Sprung Out’ strips away the distortion and propels a feeling of Americana style rock. At track three, that is certainly good placement for a song of this caliber. That disposition makes it work within the entirety of the concept. As an opening track or ending the record it would seem out of place, but here in the middle it works to bind everything as a collective. The poetry in the verbiage lends to more loss and the concept is not a new one, but one that we can all gravitate towards. A chance to do things over is a want for much of humanity, but it is also an impossibility and we must live with the consequences of our choice. What we do with that life is up to us. Do we sink or grow? Within the roots-driven sound I hear a struggle in this song about which path will be chosen.

‘Can’t Go Home’ is my favorite track on the record. Some say “don’t play favorites when writing in music journalism”, but that’s not the way that Rock Oracle operates. We write with our hearts and with compassion and when we see something, we say something. The reason I love this song is that it speaks directly to me. I am aghast as to how relatable the topic is when looking at my own life. The song was scribed by Owen Tower and the opening lines are such:

Well I

I crashed the car and threw away the key

And I

Took a thousand steps into make believe

I’m holding something

But nothing’s holding back at me

It ain’t as fun now

As I thought it’d always be

I can’t go home but I can’t stay here

There is a wave of grungy balladeering in the structure that reminds me of the 1990’s (which may be another reason I feel connected). The heavy pumping of electricity coming from the underbelly of guitars is soothing. Sparks of twang pop up like boiling lava to accent crashing cymbals in a symphony of garage rock and I’m transported to past memories both good and bad. It’s compelling and, well, wholesome.

The title track plays last with ‘All The Dogs’. The final song on the album is a bop. It has a catchy hook and wonderful singability, but it is not simplistic. In this song the band really showcases their skillset. There is not so much blending and layered sound but rather some standout out performances from the players that catch the ear. I think it is here that I applaud the “less is more” approach. I am captured by the funkiness of the bassline, which I didn’t hear too much of in the other songs. Not to mention there are bells and…wait, did I hear a vibraslap?! When Cake is one of your favorite bands, you know what that is. Well done Tower Brothers. I look forward to catching a live show soon.

“All The Dogs” was mixed by Charles Dahlke and mixed by Kyle Larochelle. Instruments were all performed by the band Jackson Tower (Keys / Bass / Vocals / Guitar / General Producing) Owen Tower (Guitar / Vocals) Thomas Prescott (Guitar) Quinten Cohen (Drums / Vocals).

Tower Brothers have a show coming up on October 22nd at the Eastside Bowl to continue supporting their new EP release.