Doghouse Swine are “Fearless”

Doghouse Swine are “Fearless”

URL: https://www.doghouseswine.com/

DogHouse Swine’s latest EP, named “Fearless,” is a fantastic starting point for those who are new to the band, introducing listeners to the group’s particular approach to punk rock. Opening track, the eponymous “Fearless,” sets the tone accordingly. Not content to sit still for a second, the band blasts straight into a vicious punk party. While many listeners might be thinking ‘so far, so good,’ the band drops a sudden gear shift, dropping into a slower middle eight and showing the audience that they are entirely in their element. Shifting back to the original style for the closer of the song, the repeated words “never sell my soul for you” reintroduces the song to the audience with a nod to the age-old punk mythos. As introductions go, it is a fitting one.

From there, the aggression does not ebb away. The second track, “Dangerous,” is a fantastic example of the band’s ear for a riff. While many groups are content to simply add power and speed to the standard template, DogHouse Swine mark themselves out as a band with more than just an ear for a melody. Catchy enough to get your head nodding, the guitar leads the band through a merry song and dance. Throughout, the drums and the bass ensure that the rhythm is never ignored. On the whole, the band demonstrate a tightness which allows their individual talents to flourish.

With few songs lasting longer than three minutes, the album’s middle passage builds on the solid foundations of the opening tracks. Things change get slightly more hectic on the third track, “Get Some.” Even amid the fast pace of the EP, the jump up heroics of the vocals and the melodic chorus stands out as being particularly blistering. The band rarely swerve away from the standard formula, but imbue it with enough energy that everything is over before you have even realised. As the listener moves on to the fourth track, “Knew It All,” the paces still hurtles ever forwards.

By the time we move on to the final two tracks, the band is still infused with the enthusiasm which the genre demands. If “Born In A Hole” seems to be paced in a slightly gentler fashion, the spiky guitar tone and pounding rhythm section maintain the momentum. The final track, “Out of Time” begins a little differently. For the first time, the bass line is brought to the forefront. But soon enough we’re back into the regular DogHouse Swine style. Energy, catchiness, everything else punk music demands. By the time “Fearless” is over, the listener knows everything they need to know about exactly what the band have to offer.

I-TUNES:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/doghouse-swine/id377679392

by H. Thomas