Fat Dog – ‘WOOF.’ album review: some things haven’t been done before for good reason

Name: Fat Dog - WOOF
Rating: 2

Dale Maplethorpe

Thu 5 September 2024 17:26, UK

Fat Dog - WOOF.

THE SKINNY: It’s been hard to get away from Fat Dog for the past year or so. Word spread about them in London as the next band to emerge from the famous Windmill in Brixton, which gradually spread outward as what was being described as the best live act in modern music was heralded from all corners of the country. Upon seeing Fat Dog live, it was easy to see why they were getting so much hype. Unfortunately, that live experience doesn’t translate well on their debut studio album, WOOF.

When you saw the band live, you were privy to a sound that hadn’t been replicated elsewhere. Walking into a Fat Dog show was like walking into a booze-filled, drugged-up rave where time both sped up and slowed down simultaneously. Audiences erupted at their songs, and it felt like you witnessed what may become the next big thing. However, when these songs are laid bare, and they don’t have the atmosphere of a dingy venue to hide behind, you see them for what they are, which is a single idea drawn out and repeated.

The unrelenting heavy bass and hard kick sound that floods nearly every single track on this album gets boring almost immediately, as 70% of this record is the musical equivalent of filling your head with rhetorical questions and banging it against a wall. Live, it’s brilliant, on its own, not so much.

It’s also tough to understand the reasoning behind the singles that have been released for the album. WOOF. is nine songs long; the opening and closing tracks act as an introduction and an outro to the album. Then, out of the five tracks that follow the same pattern of building instrumentation, screaming lyrics and harsh drops, four have already been released. This means that people who are into the sound Fat Dog has going for them outside of a live show will only experience one more song of that kind when listening to the album.

The final two tracks left on the record, ‘Clowns’ and ‘I am the King’, are personal standouts because they sound little like the rest of the LP. There is no denying Fat Dog are excellent musicians as their ability to build an atmosphere is second to none, but it seems every time a song started to form while writing the album, they resorted to the same formula of overwhelming the listener with noise until all they can do is either turn the song off or form a mosh pit to it—which is easier said than done in a living room. ‘Clowns’ and ‘I am the King’ are the only two instances where that doesn’t happen. These also both sound pretty similar, though, and again, ‘I am the King’ has already been released.

Essentially, if you’ve been following the singles Fat Dog has been putting out, unfortunately, you’ve pretty much already heard the entire album. This piece of music feels like an EP that the band have been forced to stretch out so that they can get their debut out into the world. Despite there being plenty of musical talent and originality on show, they haven’t been given time to develop it futher.

Instead, we’re left with WOOF. which is the same two or three ideas stretched out and contorted to try and resemble something new. Make no mistake, you’re dealing with exceptional musical minds with Fat Dog, but as far as a debut is concerned, WOOF. hardly warrants a listen.

For fans of: The ambient tones of a construction site that isn’t building anything.

A concluding comment from a jackhammer: “They’re speaking my language!”

WOOF. track by track

Release: September 6th | Label: Domino Records | Producer: Joe Love, James Ford and Jimmy Robertson

‘Vigilante’: The track opens with the words, “It’s fucking Fat Dog baby!” Which should serve as a warning to any who listen. While some will welcome this album with open arms, those five words are the equivalent of a dog whistle to me, telling me to go far away and leave this place before it’s too late.

The opening track sounds as if Knife Party were left in charge of the War Of The Worlds soundtrack, while the lyrics are a more dystopian version of what Jagger says on ‘Sympathy For The Devil’. It builds for just over 90 seconds before dropping into a heavy bass, hard kick drum and a tone that listeners better enjoy because they’re about to hear it over and over and over and over and over and over and over again throughout this record. [2/5]

‘Closer to God’: An upbeat number that starts with building guitar, a sound that feels as though it would feel at place in a movie about Dracula. It has a cool feel to it, and as it breaks down to allow room for words, ‘Closer to God’ feels exciting. The disappointment comes when it drops and becomes borderline unlistenable. It’s a mix of EDM, drum and bass, and punk that nobody asked for. [1.5/5]

‘Wither’: The track starts as it means to go on. The words “You better wither baby, before you die” are repeated over and over again over a heavy bass and hard kick. There is a slight moment when the sound of what appears to be a heart rate monitor plays on its own, and I wonder if this album has genuinely sent me to the hospital, but it quickly passes. The same formula repeats before the song breaks down into an ambient, warm synth sound underneath screaming vocals. It’s a nice breather before we’re thrown into that same unrelenting, “You better wither baby, before you die,” which plays over and over and over. [2.5/5]

‘Clowns’: Great song. A lovely breather from the relentlessness of this album while still keeping the off-kilter feel that Fat Dog is clearly going for. As the track opens, autotune on a monotone voice sounds hauntingly dystopian, and while synth builds and the track progresses, we, as listeners, ascend, occupying a space reserved for the most twisted of pop songs. [4/5]

‘King of the Slugs’: As someone who listened to this song when it first came out, I can testify that the first time I heard ‘King of the Slugs’ I felt nothing but excitement. The aggressive instrumentation and vocals, along with lyrics that were equally braggadocios yet self-deprecating, the long run time, and the carnival-like bridge, it sounded like the next big thing booting the door off the hinges and saying, “We’ve fucking arrived!”

With time, though, and in the context of the album, this song blends into the background noise that dominates WOOF. and represents a drawn-out idea rather than a singular piece of brilliance. While the band was on to a winner with this track, all they did afterwards was replicate the formula and put it out there over and over and over and over and over and over and over… [2.5/5]

‘All the Same’: This is probably the most unique version of the repeated formula we hear on the album. While it still overly relies on the heavy bass and hard kick, the rhythm is slightly slower, and the hook rides that rhythm instead of being placed on top of it. The guitar-heavy interludes also sound ace. [3.5/5]

‘I am the King’: There is no denying that everyone involved in making this album is incredibly talented. Their ability to create atmosphere is second to none, and ‘I am the King’ represents this best. The sound feels thick enough to choke on, the sadness laced throughout is palpable, and the whole thing is gorgeous. You’re at the hands of master musicians in moments like this. When they allow themselves to keep building and stop relying on nonsensical drops that don’t do anything other than make blood boil; it really can be something special. [4/5]

‘Running’: …and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over… [1/5]

‘And so it Came to Pass’: A nice full stop to an album of ups and downs. Credit to Fat Dog, they’re doing something new and trying something different, but it didn’t land on their debut. Regardless, it’s exciting to see where the band might end up. [n/a]