The World-Building Behind Couch Dog's Unraveler EP
- webdesignwavzine
- 4 hours ago
- 7 min read
We’re old friends of Couch Dog here at .WAV Zine, thus we are qualified to give our official ruling that they just keep getting better and better. From humble roots in the SLO scene to their recent Los Angeles expansion, this band is on a mission for greatness and they are increasingly making themselves known. Couch Dog consists of Max Ferrer (vocals and rhythm guitar), Pablo Acosta (lead guitar), Tasha Lee (bass), and Liam Reece (drums). The band has over 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and that number is only growing.
Long-time fans of the band know Couch Dog makes “music for crying, dancing, and kissing,” all of which are awesome, time-honored traditions. But, these old dogs aren’t afraid to bust out some new tricks. Their upcoming Unraveler EP, releasing on June 27th, is an evolution of the Couch Dog sound. It’s described as “more atmospheric, more versatile” than anything in their discography to date.
In anticipation of this drop, I had the chance to speak with the band and gain some more insight on all of the love and ambition put into this exciting new multimedia project. Unraveler is more than just an EP; it’s fantastically immersive — lyrically, thematically, visually, and sonically.
The Sound Evolution
The very production of Unraveler marks a pivot for Couch Dog. It’s a sonic reinvention driven by curiosity. After the earnest, surf-rock guitar-driven sounds of their debut, the band leans into uncharted terrain. “Right after we released our first album,” Tasha reflects, “we were just really excited to try different kinds of sound palettes and move into a space using more synths, more digital effects… and getting a little more avant-garde with it.” For the band, this was not a departure, but rather action taken on a long-held aspiration, less about abandoning roots and more about stretching them out. Pablo adds, “it’s been challenging, but really fun. It’s been really exciting to try new things. Very rewarding, too.” The shift feels like an organic and honest reflection of their collective taste. Each band member brings new inspirations and tools to the table. “It was just a natural progression of our interests at the time,” Pablo says.
Pablo’s keen interest in synths, initially a side experiment during the era of the How To
Ruin Your Life Fast album, becomes a key player in Unraveler. Digital flourishes add texture and playfulness, emphasizing eeriness at times as well as the role of electrics. “We didn’t have as much time to explore it before,” Pablo explains. “There was this sense that we couldn’t keep overcooking things. With this EP, we had the space to actually live in the songs for a while.” Results, of course, are atmospheric and layered.
Balancing the new with their own familiar “Couch Dog-core” sound is something that everyone is rightfully proud of in terms of this EP. Pablo says, “these songs are so different from one another, but there’s this kind of thread that connects them all.” Another big achievement lies with the orchestral sections. “It was the first time we ever attempted to compose anything like that,” says Max. The band thanks Daniel, their violinist for these parts. “The swell at the beginning still gets me.” Tasha agrees. She also emphasizes the crafted transition between “Casadastra” and “Teethe”. “It’s a little scary… I always want to hear that transition.”
Exploring Collaboration in Writing
Unlike previous releases of theirs, where frontman Max primarily shaped the structure and lyrics, Unraveler saw all of Couch Dog writing independently at times and meeting in the middle. Max says, “it was a much more collaborative process where each of us brought what we had and came together to make something new.”
The shift allowed songs to feel distinct, yet bonded: carrying a unique voice and some personal trademarks while contributing to the cohesive story of the EP in its entirety. For Pablo, it was about trust and spontaneity. “Songs started somewhere skeletal,” he says, “and with this project, we really expanded the boundaries of collaboration.” Working closely with their engineer Griffin (shoutout!), the band leaned into real-time studio production...
“There was an idea? Okay, let’s try it out, let’s put it on paper,” Pablo says while describing their creative process. This kind of openness, coupled with the trust built among the band, led to something they can easily be proud of. Max puts it simply: “The final product is definitely all of us. That is what I think makes it so special.”
Animation and Visuals: Bringing Music to Life
Alongside their venture into new sonic territory, Couch Dog has long dreamed of pushing into visual art, something they were finally able to do with Unraveler. “We always kinda wanted to explore this multi-media thing,” says Tasha. The band enlisted student animators, pulling names from a CalArts project playlist. “We wanted to hire people who were really looking for work and would hopefully be super invested in the project.” The band built mood boards and storyboards, handing these ideas off to the artists who (brilliantly) brought each track to life with vibrant, otherworldly animation — as seen on the band’s instagram, teasing the tracklist pre-release.
“The animations are a fun way to introduce people to the world that we’ve been creating with these new songs,” Pablo shares. Each visual is tied to a track, blending the music with fantastical scenes and avatars reflective of the band members themselves.
Touring and Transitioning to LA
Leaving their origin point of San Luis Obispo was no small decision for Couch Dog. “It was a big, scary thing to move,” Tasha admits. “We’d all been there for many, many years, and it was comforting to be there with the community we’d built up.” But, especially after graduating from Cal Poly and deciding to continue pursuing music, the leap paid off. In LA, the band welcomed drummer Liam in place of previous drummer Josh, which they described as a smooth transition. The band signed with a booking agency (Arrival Artists), opened for bigger acts, and played in states they have never toured before.
“It felt really eye-opening to move into a different scene,” Pablo says. “Everything moves so fast in LA… but we took action quickly. And I’m really proud of that. It felt like the next step.”
The band has also learned to embrace the chaos of tour life. Having already embarked on their first headlining tour, as well as a tour supporting Archer Oh, they’ve learned a lot along the way. From house shows falling through to being overly reliant on fast food, they’ve gained insight (and humor) for future endeavors. “We ate a lot of cheeseburgers,” Liam laughs. “We’ll eat less this time.”
For their upcoming Summer 2025 tour, the band intends to be well-packed and prepared, passing time by playing mind games like “Akinator” and cruising with video games in the backseat. “I could just spend a million hours in the car with these people, and it would be chill no matter what,” Tasha says.
Favorite Venues and Dream Spaces
From Quarters DLC in Salt Lake City, to the Holland Project in Reno, to Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco — each venue brought a different kind of magic. “I really enjoyed Salt Lake,” Max says, to which Liam also agrees. “I found my new favorite arcade game of all time, Killer Queen… that was the most fun I’ve ever had at an arcade in my life.”
Bottom of the Hill in SF hit closer to home. “There were so many people from SLO that pulled up to that one,” Pablo says. “It was genuinely insane.” Max adds, “I saw the band Dreamgirl play there when I was a freshman, and I’ve wanted to play there ever since.” The turnout from SLO and Max achieving this longtime venue-dream of his made this show in particular feel like a major full-circle moment.
The band’s eyes are currently set on a few iconic LA venues: “The Fonda is like 15 minutes from our house, and it’s sick as fuck,” Tasha says. Pablo adds, “I’d love to play the Fox Theater someday, that would be insane.” With their upcoming tour this summer, the band is majorly looking forward to playing at The Echo in LA, as well as taking on new venues and new crowds in Portland and Seattle.
And Some Extra…
Couch Dog’s sense of humor remains as intact as their musical instincts. The band is so clearly comfortable together, and they each bring something fun to the table. When asked about dream vinyl pressings for Unraveler, Max insists on including Lego ball-joint skeletons — nothing more, nothing less. Tasha dreams of liquid goo —neon green and glittery. Pablo’s vision reflects the album aesthetic, including the futuristic worm from the “Teethe” visuals tangled in live wires.
I also asked a couple tough questions and pitted some legends against one another. When asked to choose between Blur or Oasis, all four members of Couch Dog opted for Blur. When asked to choose between The Cure and The Smiths, everyone was quick to berate Morrissey for being annoying and whiny. “Robert Smith is way cooler, obviously,” says Liam, even though he was the only one out of four to divert and eventually side with The Smiths for their music.
Two more shoutouts are in order as well… first up is Couch Dog’s previous drummer, Josh Cheruvelil. “Massive, massive, massive shoutout to our old drummer Josh. Even though he is no longer with us (don’t worry, he’s not dead!), he blesses our hearts and minds and souls every day,” says Tasha. Pablo adds, “He contributed to Unraveler massive, massive style. I miss him so much.” Josh, now living and working in the Bay, even rejoined Couch Dog for a surprise performance and drummer-swap with Liam at their Bottom of the Hill SF show. Pablo also shouts out friends of Couch Dog and fellow SLOCal music legends, The Let Downs, pointing to the shirt he wears during our interview repping one of their designs.
So, what now? “People should look forward to further evolutions of our sound,” Max says. “We’re taking everything we experimented with in Unraveler even further in our future projects.” In parting, when asked about words to live by, Pablo says, “Make good art, the world needs it.” Max takes from the immortal words of Finn and Jake: “Homies help homies. Always.” And Liam? “Woof woof.”
The future of Couch Dog feels wide open: wired for experimentation, rooted in community, and powered by shared experiences and unshakable camaraderie. Be sure to check out the Unraveler EP, available to stream and purchase June 27th! Follow the band on instagram @wearecouchdog to stay in the loop on upcoming shows, projects, and releases. They’re pretty damn cool.
Sarah Jagielski is a writer on our Content Team. She conducted the interview, wrote the article, and made the cover art. Sam Fleischmann took the photos.
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