Artist: Chris LaRocca
EP: dog years
Release Date: October 3, 2025
Genre: Alternative
Chris LaRocca’s journey has been a wild, intense evolution. Yet, even after racking up acclaimed production credits and a Cannes Lion-winning film, LaRocca felt a deep, personal tug—a need to make music that finally reflected his core self. This calling sent him out of the studio and into the Canadian wilderness to chase those Americana, rootsy sounds. The payoff is his new EP, dog years.
Featuring eight tracks, and six previous singles, dog years takes the listener on journey, that you just don’t want to miss out on.
“preaching to the choir” is my favourite track on the EP, offering a compelling blend of anxious self-doubt and romantic devotion, capturing the swirling, “woozy” feeling of emotional overload. The song instantly throws you into his head with a flurry of deeply honest questions—“Am I too picky for you? Do you miss me when you say you do?”—that quickly escalate into a relatable portrait of relationship anxiety, perfectly illustrated by him “pacing my apartment like a bloodhound now.” The central refrain, “You’re preaching to the choir / If you think I’m out my mind,” is such a gut-punch; it’s a weary admission of his own flaws but also a powerful, clear declaration of commitment from a deeply human partner who knows exactly how much is on the line.
With over 140,000 streams on Spotify, the previous single, “slow dance in the diner” perfectly captures the warm, intimate atmosphere its title suggests, soaking the listener in late-night nostalgia. Avoiding big drama, the lyrics instead focus on small, heartfelt moments—like the simple but powerful line, “it never gets old, to feel your heart race, against mine”—conveying a quiet ache, a mix of comfort and longing that feels deeply familiar.
“normal guy” follows suit with upwards of 60,000 streams. The smooth, introspective track blends groove-driven rhythms with sincere lyrics of yearning and self-doubt. LaRocca’s silky vocals complement shimmering keys and retro guitar riffs, creating a lush sound.
The title track, “dog years,” is the emotional anchor of the EP, pulling the listener in immediately with a beat that’s impossible to ignore. Built on a driving rhythm reminiscent of a late 80s/ early 90s pop, the song manages to sound both nostalgic and forward-looking while lyrically capturing the feeling of time and emotional strain: “i feel the dog years catching up, catching up to me.”
The latest single, “last pair of boots in town,” is a raw, emotionally resonant heartbreak track that feels more like a quiet confession than a performance. With a stripped-down musical arrangement that keeps his voice front and center, the focus is entirely on the lyrics, which detail a toxic relationship. The central question, “Do you think I’m the last pair of boots in this town?,” lands with the weight of both a plea and a painful realization that he deserves better.
Overall, dog years, is less a collection of songs and more a beautifully rendered time-lapse of personal and musical transformation. The project’s central strength lies in its emotional tension, shifting seamlessly from the anxious, full-throttle devotion of “preaching to the choir” to the quiet, heartbreaking realization of “last pair of boots in town.” Anchored by the driving, self-aware title track, the EP succeeds as a cohesive, deeply human statement, inviting the listener to witness the full, complex evolution of an artist coming into his own.