“I wanted to prove to myself and the industry that I could write an elite country record with ease,” says songwriter, Nashville native, and Lost Dog Street Band frontman, Benjamin Tod of his new album, Shooting Star; a 10-song LP that harkens back to the golden era of country music.

Only a few years ago, songwriter Benjamin Tod, along with his wife and bandmate Ashley Mae, thought that their Lost Dog Street Band had run its foreseeable course. They closed up shop and Tod focused his efforts on recording solo music, but old loves linger and eventually find a way. “I thought I was done with Lost Dog, but after recording my solo album, I looked over all the songs that I had ready for a new record,” remembers Tod. “These were songs for my band.

The story of Lost Dog Street Band’s upcoming album Survived revolves around the retirement and rebirth of the band itself, and their latest single, the album’s title track, epitomizes the concept of the entire album’s spirit. “I had already grieved the death of Lost Dog as a band the first week of 2023 while recording my honky tonk record,” remembers Lost Dog founder—and successful solo artist—Benjamin Tod.

Songwriter Benjamin Tod didn’t have a particular time or event in mind when he sat down to write Lost Dog Street Band’s new single, “If You Leave Me Now,” a neon-lit reflection on consequence and love. “It came to be from a lifetime of bad decisions and I overcame the last few years,” remembers Tod. “Don’t go punching mirrors / You may find more than what you bargained left behind,” he sings in the song’s first verse.

“I’m not sure if there is any other song I’ve written that gives quite the emotions this one does,” says Benjamin Tod, songwriter and frontman of Lost Dog Street Band.

Returning to the stripped-back, string band sound of their busking years, Lost Dog Street Band’s new album Glory is a searing testament to recovery, redemption and resolve. Fronted by songwriter Benjamin Tod and his wife, fiddler Ashley Mae, the DIY band began out of desperation on the sidewalks of Nashville roughly a decade ago, but now sustains a significant national audience that’s drawn to their authentic songwriting, old-time instrumentation, and hard-won independence.