Lambrini Girls – ‘Who Let The Dogs Out’ album review: punk politics for the social media age
THE SKINNY: Punk has come a very long way since its early days back in the 1970s, finding a renewed sense of relevancy in recent years thanks to the incredible work of artists like Amyl and the Sniffers. One of the most talked about up-and-coming punks, at least in recent times, has been Lambrini Girls. The Brighton-based duo have found a name for themselves as an energetic live act for a number of years. Now, their debut album, Who Let The Dogs Out, is finally upon us, and, as the great Chuck D once said, “Don’t believe the hype.”
Since their very beginning, the Lambrini Girls duo have sought to establish the band as unapologetic and politically-charged. Taking inspiration from a long lineage of vitally important, politically-turned-on punk bands like riot grrrl progenitors Bikini Kill, the band’s debut album deals with a broad range of topics, from nepotism in the music industry to the reality of neurodivergence. While these issues are undeniably important, and their presence in one of the most hotly-anticipated debuts of the year is reassuring, Lambrini Girls often fail to tackle these topics with any degree of nuance, subtlety, or – most worryingly – originality.
More often than not, the lyrics screamed by Phoebe Lunny read like the angsty journal scrawlings of a 14-year-old who has just read 1984 for the first time. What’s more, some of their more prominent songs are already at risk of becoming outdated. It is not difficult to imagine that, by the end of 2025, Lambrini Girls themselves might be wincing at songs about ‘nepo babies’, ‘big dick energy’, and how to be ‘cunty’. The backbone of the record centres around a few hastily strewn-together cliches and social media talking points that severely lack substance.
At one point on the record, the duo’s political commentary goes from uninspiring to downright insulting when they chop up and sample a legendary 1978 speech by civil rights activist and key leader of the Black Panthers, Kwame Ture. After drowning out his timeless criticism of capitalism with guitar distortion, the Brighton duo launches into an attack on levels of white privilege and class discrimination within the music industry. An important topic, but not one which really compares to the vital messages of Ture.
Of course, the record is not without its positives. From the opening track, ‘Bad Apples’, the basslines provided by Lilly Macieira are compelling in their infectious anger. As a result, the more bass-heavy songs on Who Let The Dogs Out tend to be the most enjoyable. The album is largely let down by its unimaginative lyricism and lack of sonic diversity. Every song on the album, with the exception of ‘No Homo’, sound virtually identical. In short, you could create your very own Lambrini Girls song by reading out centre-left social media posts over a thumping bassline.
For fans of: Being angry about everything all the time but consuming all your political theory via Instagram infographics.
A concluding comment from the late Ellen Willis: “I’ve had more original thoughts while half asleep, disassociating over a bowl of cereal… and I died in 2006!”
Who Let The Dogs Out track b track:
Release Date: January 10th | Producer: Daniel Fox | Label: City Slang
‘Bad Apple’: Armed with siren sound effects and distortion-heavy bass, Lambrini Girls kick off their debut album with a band. Setting the tone for the rest of the record, vocalist Phoebe Lunny showcases their strained vocal style, which reflects the defiant anger at the heart of the group. It’s certainly not the most profound punk anthem ever put to tape, but it’s a decent start to the record nonetheless. [3.5/5]
‘Company Culture’: Continuing on a very similar theme to the opener, the duo attacks corporate culture in a fairly run-of-the-mill punk composition. There is no shortage of punk tracks about the oppression and misogyny inherent in the corporate world, and this particular effort does not offer enough originality to make it stand out within that landscape. [2/5]
‘Big Dick Energy’: While the duo’s instrumentals are pretty infectious and enjoyably abrasive, there has been a distinct lack of sonic diversity thus far. If you weren’t paying attention, you would be forgiven for thinking those first three songs were exactly the same. [2/5]
‘No Homo’: Taking on a refreshingly different atmosphere to the beginning of the record, ‘No Homo’ is among the most enjoyable tracks on Who Let The Dogs Out. Again, the lyrics are far from being overly inspired or captivating, but the pair largely make up for that with the instrumentation. The song also gives a brief break from Lunny’s usual vocal style. [3.5/5]
‘Nothing Tastes As Good As It Feels’: Again, it is becoming difficult to differentiate between these songs; they all sound incredibly similar. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with a group finding their niche, Lambrini Girl’s rag-tag collection of clichés becomes quite tiresome after a while. [2/5]
‘You’re Not From Around Here’: A searing attack on gentrification that adds virtually nothing to the conversation. Although the topic of gentrification is undeniably important, there is nothing here that cannot already be gained from an Instagram infographic half-heartedly shared on someone’s story. [1.5/5]
‘Scarcity Is Fake (Communist Propaganda)’: Somehow, sampling a profound 1978 speech from prolific thinker and vitally important civil rights activist Kwame Ture before quickly drowning out his words with guitar distortion for 17 seconds feels a little insulting. [1/5]
‘Filthy Rich Nepo Baby’: Even if the band’s sampling of Ture’s speech was done with the best intentions, immediately following up his profound attack on the capitalist system and how it seeks to keep the proletariat down with an incredibly derivative take on the ‘nepo baby’ dispute is laughable. [1.5/5]
‘Special, Different’: Another song which follows the rigid formula set out by the duo from the get-go, this particular version of their sound details the difficulties of neurodivergence. Sonically, it bears a lot of resemblance to late-2010s-era Idles, so make of that what you will. [2/5]
‘Love’: As we approach the end of their debut record, Lambrini Girls offer a typically cynical take on romance and love songs, which is pretty inoffensive, if incredibly unengaging in its output. [2/5]
‘Cuntologoy 101’: Making use of the internet’s favourite newly-appropriated terminology, the album’s final track falls into the worrying new category of ‘songs which offer no substance but will make for good use on Instagram and TikTok videos. [1.5/5]
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