The first song on this album is named “Nirvana.” It’s a fitting nod to an obvious influence, though a Mudhoney reference might honestly be more apt. Going into this record, based solely on the lead single (“Nuff Said), I was expecting more of a brash, garage-punk sound with Dog Date. My first impressions weren’t totally off base, but add a big dose of fuzzed-out grunge tones and you’ve pretty much got the idea. Dog Date play loud, guitar-driven, garage-influenced rock that keeps things short and to the point, mostly in the two to three minute range. All killer no filler with some psych and indie sprinkles along the journey.
That’s the oversimplified intro.
The band leans into short ‘n’ sweet, but the sounds vary throughout. You get some guitar noodling at times, feedback-meets-bass at others, and lots of monotone shouty vocals that lean more on their coarse delivery than on the dynamic up-and-down shifts of the ‘90s. This is high-strung music that fits more of an anxious or angry mood, more suited for a lightning storm than a dreary Seattle fog.
The emotional pull comes mostly in the guitar instead of through singer Dylan Kennedy. It’s mostly a guitar record, though you get some nice rhthym section jams from time to time (such as the end of “Orb Theory”). Meanwhile, the vocals are fairly one-note, steady but lacking in range. “Slug” blends grunge, garage rock, and classic rock, blending into “Xipe,” with its tones of Zeppelin. “Duplo” is a cool little mid-album instrumental ripper, seamlessly followed by the spastic “Cruel World Reversal.” Ultimately, it’s the vocals that make this record good but not great. They are just a bit too same-y in an 11-song package with no melodic counterbalance. I really like the frantic pacing, but the 11 songs kind of blur together by the end.
