Dog Lips is certainly one of those band names that grabs your attention before you even know what the music sounds like, but once you hit play on the group’s sophomore effort Danger Forward it becomes clear their songs are just as unexpected as their band name. At the core of the sound is classic rock ‘n roll, rawer garage rock, and punk of all types, but the way things are slung together keeps things feeling fresh from track to track. It may fly by in a flash, but Danger Forward does a lot in that span of time and is likely to appeal to fans of everything from early hardcore punk to jagged post punk.
The first two tracks keep things on the faster and looser side, with the bass and drums delivering more of a punk and rock ‘n roll tone while the guitars incorporate shimmering melodies that feel a bit closer to post punk. There’s a nice contrast between the raw edges of the low end and brighter flourishes from the guitars that makes an immediate impression, but as you get further in Dog Lips makes it clear they’re not content to fall into a simple pattern. “I Am” settles into a more relaxed cadence, with a sound that feels like earlier Ty Segall mixed with some surf rock, while “Voicemail Bombthreat” is classic 80’s punk. Danger Forward also finishes in unexpected fashion, as “The Reason” slows things down significantly for an almost post punk meets shoegaze track that’s much more reflective and calmer compared to the aggressive slants of the other tracks. Closer “Last Ride” then flips things back to the other end of the spectrum with a lumbering noise rock meets punk tone, finishing things with a bang. The way that classic punk and rock ‘n roll are combined with these other stylistic elements helps to differentiate Dog Lips from your standard genre act, and while a couple of the shorter tracks didn’t fully stick with me over repeat listens there’s still a lot here that has.
When you first press play you’re greeted not only by shimmering guitars, but snarled/yelled vocals that add a much more aggressive slant to Dog Lips’ material than you might be expecting. On opener “Brain Feeder” the pitch reminds me a lot of Negative Approach’s John Brannon, as there’s that same sense that the vocalist might reach through your speakers and punch you in the face. But Dog Lips has several members that contribute vocals, so the harsher performances don’t always dominate. “I Am” has a quirkier feel, coming in somewhere between new wave and post punk, while “The Reason” has reverb-drenched singing and spoken word. Sometimes the vocals are hardcore, sometimes they’re rock ‘n roll, but the quirky and spontaneous nature of the performances makes for a wild ride.
On their sophomore effort Dog Lips finds the sweet spot between foot stomping bar room rock ‘n roll and mosh worthy hardcore punk, but injects some shimmering post punk and new wave melodies into the mix to shake things up. A few of the briefer numbers don’t always stand out from the pack, but the way the more aggressive forward tracks bleed into the calmer, introspective ones work well and have kept me coming back. It’ll be interesting to hear where this diverse set of influences takes the band next, as there’s plenty of potential directions to head in. Danger Forward is available from Strange Mono Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg