Brooklyn-based indie singer and songwriter Alaina May returns with her new single, “The Dog.” The release follows her recent single “Casual” and offers another glimpse into her forthcoming body of work created alongside acclaimed indie rock duo TOLEDO.
Built around warm acoustic textures, airy harmonies, and intimate storytelling, “The Dog” explores what May describes as “loving like a dog” — a loyal-to-a-fault kind of affection that is both beautiful and perilous. Inspired by her experience of falling in and out of love for the first time while raising a puppy named Aspen, the song draws a poignant parallel between a dog’s unwavering devotion and the ways we can lose sight of our own needs in pursuit of love.
“In the past, when I’ve loved someone, I’ve turned a bit of a blind eye to my own wellbeing in order to preserve peace or keep things pretty. I think now, I am much more self-aware of this tendency, and this song played a part in existing in that awareness,” May shares. “Without a doubt, loving deeply is so beautiful and is one of life’s wonders, but I’ve learned that healthy love will always consider the self alongside the other person. This song feels like a spilling out of where my brain has been on the topic of loving deeply. It sits in such a personal place within my being.”
Originally from a small, conservative suburb outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, May was raised in the Christian church and she spent much of her early life conforming to a version of herself shaped by those surroundings. It wasn’t until she left for college in Boston that she began to shed those expectations, stepping into her identity as a queer woman and embracing a more authentic sense of self. That push and pull between expectation and self-discovery continues to shape her music.
That evolution sits at the core of her songwriting. A deeply sensitive and introspective writer, May leans into emotional intensity, embracing what it means to feel deeply in both her inner world and her relationships with others. Her songs trace the quiet, often unspoken shifts of identity, alongside the complexities of human connection and the lasting imprint of loving, losing, and and finding her footing within it all.
Since relocating to New York in 2025, May has been refining her artistic vision through an ongoing creative partnership with TOLEDO. What began as a chance direct message has evolved into a fruitful collaboration, helping shape a new chapter of music that feels both deeply personal and sonically expansive.
Listen to “The Dog” on all streaming platforms:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/alainamay/the-dog
Photo Credit: Logan Morrow
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