Reviewing I Give My Friends Flowers And The Album DOGSTAR 1

Named after Sirius, the Dog Star, the record explores themes of loss, death, distance, and change, while examining what it means to keep choosing love despite adversity.

The Personal and Environmental Origins of DOGSTAR 1

According to Rock the Pigeon, the album was born out of intense personal devastation and formative life experiences over the past decade, including the impact of Hurricane Helene. The “1,000-year flood” struck Asheville and the surrounding region in the fall of 2024, destroying homes, taking lives, and upending communities where Klein had recently settled. In the aftermath, Klein engaged in mutual aid work, checking on neighbors and realizing he needed to confront long-standing interior detriments.

Rock the Pigeon reported that the roots of that devastation extended further back. Klein spent time caretaking for his grandfather during the pandemic and lost numerous friends to the drug epidemic in Pennsylvania. After moving to Asheville for a fresh start, he learned his young dog had a terminal illness, prompting him to leave a newly landed job to spend her final months by her side. Following the dog’s death, a relationship that had spanned the better part of ten years also dissolved.

Production and Musical Influences Behind the Record

According to Genius, Klein tracked and produced DOGSTAR 1 across Pittsburgh, Asheville, and the New River Gorge. He collaborated with musicians including Julian Klein, Harrison Wargo, Gabriel Lotfy-Nassar, Kyle Baumbach, Julius Tunstall, Evan Isaac Black, and Mike Johnson. Parts of the record were finished in the room outside Pittsburgh where Klein first fell in love with music in his parents’ house.

Rock the Pigeon and Genius note that the album features a blend of indie soul, dream pop, and alt hip-hop. The tracklist incorporates diverse audio elements, such as an interpolation of an Allen Ginsberg poem, wedding vows sampled at a beach, a relationship dissolving over mellotron strings, and a dog called by the wrong name. To sustain himself through the creative process, Klein leaned on works by writers, filmmakers, and artists like Haruki Murakami, David Lynch, Alejandro Jodorowsky, David Hockney, and Pink Floyd, as reported by Genius.

Release Structure and Future Companion Projects

Genius reported that DOGSTAR 1 was mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound and was led by the single “VOICES.” The release functions as the first chapter of a larger story, with a companion record titled DOGSTAR 2 slated to follow. Rock the Pigeon notes that the project began in 2023 with a small, independently released EP titled Now, Forever, created alongside Klein’s brother before moving to a solitary creative path in a West Asheville home studio.

Promises made up of fool’s gold

i give my friends flowers