Oozing with real emotion and pain, DOGDAD has released his debut album Swan Dive Pity Party. The Austin-based artist describes the post-punk emo style as “something that would fit perfectly in an amine intro.” He finds his influence across a number of genres and incorporates them all thoughtfully into this first record.
The first song immediately takes the listener to a place of feeling, with DOGDAD singing, “It’s just not right / no it’s just not fair / you waited seventeen years to stand up here / now all your dreams just die / dried up in the sand.” Something like this immediately can connect with many people, showcasing how hard one can work for something just for it to not feel worth it anymore. The electric guitars roar and soar over each other, building almost a wall of sound that DOGDAD screams intently over to be heard.
The sound of the record is reminiscent of older emo-rock albums like Fix Me by Marianas Trench. DOGDAD really captures that raw anger that this genre allows the expression of. “Know Me Better” has the rage and self destruction screaming, “I don’t care! Nothing about this is real!” There is a breakdown in the song that has a lighter sound – really allowing the sound to build.
The final and titular track Swan Dive Pity Party starts out softly, a contrast to some of the electric right out the gate tracks on this project. “I’d give anything, anything is where I’m at,” he sings. The songwriting on this album excellently captures conversational lyrics done in a new fresh way. The building of this song has sick electric guitar layering and the grit in DOGDAD’s voice captures that real anger.
Overall, the album weaves in many important conversations like insecurities, anxieties, and the desperations to be seen. DOGDAD is able to do this in a way that is fresh and impressive. The walls of sound throughout the album are done intentionally messy – which is a thin line to walk. He has amazing control over his voice, a genre like this requires a lot and he handles it with such ease; he can go back and forth from a quiet voice to full on screaming. If you are a fan of early 2000s emo-rock but are looking for more modern influence and lyricism: look no further. So go check out Swan Dive Pity Party by DOGDAD, available everywhere now!
Written by Katie Power
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