Sifting through the seemingly endless supply of new music can get tiresome, but once in a while, I stumble upon an intriguing new artist that affirms my hours of digging. It’s especially fun to catch someone when they’re starting out, giving me a front row seat to watch them experiment and evolve. Recently, my unexpected discovery was Dog Race, a London based five piece with only a handful of streamable songs to their name. My first taste of their sound was “It’s the Squeeze,” an infectious yet mysterious cut of synth heavy gothic rock, complete with captivatingly strange vocals from singer Katie Healy. It hangs around, leaving traces scattered across my brain, with the throbbing baseline creeping into one ear one day and a persistent synth line dominating my attention the next—the perfect soundtrack to a budding anticipation of more to come.
The band’s next and latest release, “The Leader,” got me fully on the wagon. It showcases Dog Race continuing to mix catchy songwriting with gothic rock tinged atmospheres, underpinned by driving grooves (fans of MGMT’s “Little Dark Age” should immediately tune in). Lyrically, the song explores capitalism and perpetual desire, blending political angst with personal anxiety. It’s resonating extra hard as the US election looms.
The band’s sound is influenced by krautrock and other German music from the 70s and 80s, including artists such as Kraftwerk, Can, Klaus Nomi and X-Mal Deutschland. Lyrically, Healy takes inspiration from a variety of films, recycling lines that affirm complicated experiences. There are so many directions the band could take, and I’ve got the giddy feeling we’re at the very beginning. Keep Dog Race on your release radar, and catch them live if you get an opportunity; I’ve heard rave reviews.
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