The Dogs

Reviews

The Dogs The Only Band Called the Dogs EP

I wasn’t prepared for this. The record opens with “I Didn’t Ask,” which sounds like a bastard version of “Cold Sweat”-era THIN LIZZY minus the twin guitar harmonies, and I’ll be goddamned if the vocals don’t sound like a snottier Phil Lynott. They are tuff and have the kind of swagger to them that should accompany riffs like these. It’s fast as hell and sounds like the soundtrack to a bad Saturday night! Jonah Falco (CAREER SUICIDE, FUCKED UP) oversaw all of the production, and the fidelity of the recording really serves the songs well. It’s an improvement over their 2024 LP; thick, meaty, and a lil’ dirty, with the bass driving each of the songs against a wall of programmed drums. The closing “Take It From Me” displays the band’s street punk influence, and it’s as catchy as it is menacing. The DOGS play rough-and-tumble rock’n’roll, plain and simple. If you’re a fan of shit that rocks, don’t sleep on this. I’d be surprised if this doesn’t end up on a bunch of year-end lists.

The Dogs Total Dogshit LP

The Total Dogshit 12″ from the DOGS is a ten-song platter of raw Welsh street punk. The singer sounds like he’s about to smash a bottle over your head, snarling and bellowing through tracks that will definitely scare your parents. A drum machine keeps the barely-constructed songs together while the recording quality teeters just above “unlistenable,” but maybe that’s part of the charm. Tracks like “Shut Up” and “Hate Chu” had me tapping my toe while wondering what I’d done to piss this guy off. They even throw in a scrappy cover of the VELVET UNDERGROUND’s “Rock & Roll” for good measure. Check out the song “We Are the Dogs” or don’t—they don’t give a fuck.