Dog Lips – Danger Forward

Dog Lips who hail from Portsmouth, New Hampshire comprise of Griffin Ritzo – Guitar/Vocals, Owen Shepcaro – Guitar/Vocals, Quinn Flanigan – Bass, Tim Graff – Drums and Vocals and engineer/keyboardist Bradford Krieger.

Danger Forward may be the quintet's first release on Philadelphia's Strange Mono, but they have for a respectably sized catalogue for a group who I can only assume formed only relatively recently. As such prior releases include 2022's S/T debut, the 'Freak From Planet X' standalone single, 2023's Fuzz Buster and a collection of demos put out in January this year. The promotional notes promise a record that is “a no-frills display of Dog Lips pub-rocking punch” and I'm highly optimistic this will prove to be the case.

'Brain Feeder' may on the surface remind some of Pissed Jeans, however to me Dog Lips are far more urgent and serious. The use of infectious Basslines and rich Post-Hardcore melodies recall Clean Sheets favourites Unstable Shapes and the Hard-Rock inclinations of Tojo Yamamoto and its these elements which make this opening track so darn appealing. There's a ghostly Post-Punk feel about 'Who Knows' and as such it feels translucent, capable of disappearing at a moment's notice. Imagine a less campy Misfits and a more engaging Dead Moon (admittedly a band I've always struggled with), spooky, yet utterly compelling. 'I Am' has a cool Western tinge to it with Vocals not overtly dissimilar to that of The Cramps' Lux Interior. It also grinds with a sexiness not uncommon to that of the Gothabilly/Psychobilly legends and by extension Lux's longterm bandmate and spouse Poison Ivy, superb.

'Gush' takes us down a different route, the aforementioned Hard-Rock influences come to the fore ala Thin Lizzy and AC/DC, were they to adopt Garage-Rock to their sound. In fact the track was my first exposure to the band and the reason why I'm reviewing it for you, an absolute hook-laden, rockin' masterpiece. A personal favourite by quite some distance. 'Voicemail Bombthreat' to my ears has an Oi! Vibe what with the chanted football terrace gang vocals and musically minimalist Punk approach so if the likes of Blitz, The Business etc appeal then this will be right up your street. Hella lotta fun! 'Human Hybrid' is brutally blunt and possibly the most chaotic of all the songs on here, the screams at the beginning akin to that of Mike Muir's which open Suicidal Tendencies' legendary S/T debut. Packed full of energy, there's nothing contrived here, just ass-kicking Punk 'n' Roll.

'Danger Forward' recalls for some reason underrated New Yorkers False Prophets 'Blind Obedience' as well as the melodic Post-Hardcore/Post-Punk of Moving Targets, (another criminally overlooked band in my opinion). Anyone who reminds you of those two bands has to be worth paying attention to let's be honest. Just when you thought you had the band pegged, 'The Reason' throws you a stylistic curveball. This is the kind of Shoegaze and Dream-Pop brilliance that Slowdive and Galaxie 500 respectively conjured up. Bravo to the boys not just for crossing boundary lines but obliterating them. 'Last Ride' is appropriately titled seeing as its sadly the final track on Danger Forward and the sort of furious sounding lo-fi Garage-Punk The Reatards once made (RIP Jay). A wonderful conclusion to what has been an immensely enjoyable listen.

Thanks to the lovely Dan Volohov of Discipline PR for hooking me up with this band. Its been a while since I've felt so invigorated after listening to an album and Dog Lips have also proven to be the perfect conduit for such positive feelings. Highly recommended.