Crank this to 10.4 of 11 - Editors' Pick
Released: 2020
Genre: Hard Rock, Math Rock
Sounds Like: Barkmarket, Pissed Jeans, Paw, Craw
The world needs more magnetic frontmen and Mark Key from Dining With Dogs helps fill that void. His antagonistic tone is absolutely infectious as the trio hailing form Austin, Texas deliver one fucking hell of a sophomore album in The Problem With Friends.
We are going to pull this out of our ass and suppose that Dining With Dogs listened to the band Paw back in the day. Hence the canine homage or is this pure coincidence? Key’s delivery is much akin to Mark Hennessy’s (former Paw and current Godzillionaire) dynamic offbeat diatribe. Layer this with Marcos Morales Jesus Lizard saturated bass-work and the inventive percussive work of one Josh Paul. The trio click like high heals on tile.
The album is tight as fuck providing us with 10 very inventive tracks that meander from hard rock to splashes of off-beat math-rock like structures.The debut is an absolutely fresh onslaught of alpo.
Track Listing:
1. Oddly Shaped Skull 04:10
2. Sweet Talkin' Psycho 02:39
3. Apostate 03:36
4. Puzzled 03:22
5. The Problem With Friends 03:41
6. Snowflake 04:52
7. Sacred Weapons 03:13
8. Fruit Of The Poison Tree 03:42
9. Spreading Thin 03:46
10. Killing Machine 04:08
Standout Track:
"Sweet Talking’ Psycho," albeit the shortest track of the lot, is fucking brilliant. “Crawl on the floor for you... anything at all” speaks to the heart of obsession. The obsession is drilled home in your face as the track is jammed with the essence of what is Dining With Dogs. They somehow turn the awkward into beautiful. Key’s ability to paint such an addictive obsession so powerfully in 2 and a half minutes is uncanny. This track never gets old and will only stay with you the entire day.
Adult Beverage Pairing:
Let's keep it local and throw down some Jester King Hominimania from Austin Texas. At 5.1% this is a refreshing pale lager that you can pound as you dine with friends. The perfect companion to bring together friends rather than highlight their flaws.Fermented with German lager yeast the smooth yet hoppy bite will quench and blend perfectly with DWD.
ROTATION RECAP:
Song structure
10.5 out of 11
Weight of the Heavy
9.8 out of 11
Vocal Performance
10.7 out of 11
Fretwork Prowess
10.2 out of 11
Percussion Prowess
10.3 out of 11
Overall Album Flow
10.3 out of 11
Contrast
9.5 out of 11
Album Cover Aesthetics
8.7 out of 11
Production Value
10.4 out of 11
Authenticity
10.5 out of 11
Final Thoughts:
Dining with Dogs is preaching to the choir here. We are absolutely huge fans of all four bands mentioned in the ‘sounds like’ section above. Dining With Dogs authentically fits blends in with all four of these. The trio display uncanny chemistry and we highly recommend this for all fans of the heavy, but the offbeat and math-rock ear will particularly gravitate towards this one.
Band Members:
Mark Key - Vocals, Guitar
Marcos Morales - Bass
Josh Paul - Drums
