The Mallett Brothers Band – Dogs and Horses

The Mallett Brothers Band doesn’t do half-measures. They don’t chase trends, they don’t dilute their sound, and they sure as hell don’t compromise on storytelling. With their new single Dogs and Horses, they dig deep into the guts of rural American life. It’s a song about love, grit, and the wild push and pull of two lives running in parallel but rarely in sync. The track is part of their upcoming album, Higher Up in the Hills, dropping April 4th. It lands like a shot of whiskey – smooth going down, but with a burn that lingers.

Chuck Leavell Brings His Magic to The Mallett Brothers Band Dogs and Horses

Premiered via Americana Highways, Dogs and Horses immediately grabs attention with a heavy hitter. Chuck Leavell, the piano sorcerer who’s played with The Rolling Stones and The Allman Brothers Band, steps in with his signature touch. Naturally, he lays down keys that seem tailor-made for this song, effortlessly weaving into the fabric of electric guitars, fiddle, and organ. His parts were tracked at Capricorn Studios, a place soaked in musical history. You can hear that legacy in the way the music breathes, carrying warmth and depth that only a place like Capricorn can offer.

Luke Mallett, the band’s frontman, calls Dogs and Horses a love song at its core. And this isn’t some pre-packaged love song from the romance aisle. It’s got dirt under its nails and hay in its hair, baby. It’s about a couple balancing their lives around their passions. One on the road playing music, the other running a commercial horse farm in Maine. It’s about the constant dance of being apart yet trying to stay connected. The sacrifices pile up while chasing dreams. “These lifestyles aren’t compatible at all,” Luke admits. “I spend half my life out on the road, and she spends 12 hours a day in the barn taking care of animals. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another. But the way that we try to hold each other up is really what I was moved to write about.”

A Collaboration That Feels Inevitable

The connection with Leavell came naturally. The band appeared on his PBS series America’s Forests, and when it came time to flesh out Dogs and Horses, they knew keys would elevate the song. “Having his piano and organ on the song brought it to a whole new place,” Luke says. And to be honest, that’s the kind of addition that shifts the entire feel, adding weight and history to an already rich track.

Musically, Dogs and Horses is layered with textures that build into something bigger than the sum of its parts. There’s violin, electric guitars, organ, and harmonies that swell at just the right moments. The lineup? Luke Mallett (guitar, vocals), Will Mallett (guitar, harmonica, vocals), Nick Leen (bass), Andrew Martelle (fiddle, synth, backup vocals), Brian Higgins (drums, percussion, backup vocals), and Chuck Leavell (piano, organ). Yeah, this is your crew that knows how to lock in and let the song lead. Jonathan Wyman handled engineering and mixing at Halo Studios, with Leavell’s parts captured by Rob Evans at Capricorn Studios. This track moves with purpose, built with the raw energy of long highways and late-night jam sessions. Kinda like it myself.

The Legacy of The Mallett Brothers Band

The Mallett Brothers Band has been at this for 15 years. They built their reputation not on hype, but on road miles, sweat, and an unwillingness to fit into neat little boxes. Formed in Portland, Maine, by brothers Luke and Will Mallett, they inherited the songwriting gene from their father, folk artist David Mallett. They carve their own path, boots covered in the dust of every stage they’ve played. Their music jumps between rock, country and roots, carrying the weight of New England storytelling while refusing to be tethered to any one tradition.

They’ve been called “New England’s wildly eclectic crew of genre rebels” by Texas Hill Country Explore Magazine and likened to “William Faulkner resurrected with an electric guitar in hand” by Bill Copeland Music News. That kind of praise doesn’t come from playing it safe. The band follows the music wherever it wants to go. That’s exactly why they’ve become festival regulars at Floyd Fest and The New England Country Music Festival. They’ve shared the stage with legends, held their own, and kept moving forward.

Higher Up in the Hills – A New Chapter

With Higher Up in the Hills on the horizon, The Mallett Brothers Band isn’t slowing down. Dogs and Horses is just the first taste, and if this track is anything to go by, the full album is going to hit with the force of a storm rolling in over the Maine woods. The band doesn’t need to relocate to Nashville or Austin to make music that resonates. They’re proving, yet again, that authentic American music comes from wherever the road, the dirt, and the heart meet.

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