A blend of intimate lo-fi folk and dark-toned indie rock, Slaughter Beach, Dog is led by Jake Ewald, co-frontman for Philadelphia emo outfit Modern Baseball. The project grew from a handful of extracurricular releases into the singer/songwriter's primary creative outlet, exploring a softer and ultimately more diverse sound than his primary band. After handling most of the instruments and production on his debut and 2017's Birdie, Ewald morphed Slaughter Beach, Dog into an expanded full-band endeavor for 2019's Safe and Also No Fear. Working on his own again, he created 2020's At the Moonbase during the global pandemic, taking a cleaner, more pop-driven direction. This sound continued on the 2023 full-band effort Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling, which was inspired in part by classic singer/songwriters of the 1970s.