London band Fat Dog are finally here with their debut album WOOF, an album that has been heavily anticipated through the band’s rambunctious live shows and infectious singles.  

Release Date:  6^th September 2024

Label: Domino

Formats: CD / Vinyl / Digital

I first heard Fat Dog almost exactly a year ago. I saw the name floating around social media and decided to give their debut single King Of The Slugs a try, and upon my first listen, I was absolutely blown away. The track is such an effective, impression-making song that goes between feeling claustrophobic, grand and intense through its seven-minute run time. I find it hard to think of a debut single that has had as much of an impact on me since. I immediately had to know more about the band and went on a Youtube deep dive watching video after video of live footage of them playing through various line-up changes and unreleased songs, and with each subsequent single that was released, it made me even more excited for their debut album to arrive.

And that brings us today. Fat Dog have finally released their debut album WOOF, an album that sees the band fulfilling and surpassing the potential that their singles and live shows have set up. WOOF is an album that whilst feeling off kilter and strange throughout, sounds extremely well crafted and thought out, creating an overall sound and feel which is truly original to Fat Dog and their music. The power and energy that the band bring throughout the albums 33-minute run time is truly admirable, especially for their debut record. One of the most in-demand producers in the UK at the moment James Ford, who this year has already worked on new albums from Fontaines D.C and The Last Dinner Party, lends his production to the album which really elevates and gives Fat Dog the sound and textures that they deserve.

On the songwriting front, the album is engaging and eccentric throughout with tracks that range from topics such as corrupt cult leaders and time travel. Individually, the members of the band all get their chance to shine, however I feel the strongest compliment I can give is how well they are able to aid each other together to create these extraordinary soundscapes from song to song. Frontman Joe Love is captivating through not only his lyrics but his manic vocal performances that are seen throughout the album.

That’s not to say that WOOF is pure intensity throughout, the track Clowns works well as a moment of autotune soaked pop beauty with gorgeous strings that back Love’s twisted repeated description of “Crackheads to the left, and clowns to the right.” Whilst being one of the more restrained moments on the album, it also serves as one of the most surprising as it contrasts against the singles released in a way that benefits greatly giving the record more shape and variety. I would love to see them experiment even further with this sound in future material.

The albums moments of pure energy however are definitely still work mentioning. Intro Vigilante opens with a dramatic spoken word intro on top of an almost cinematic, rising instrumental which culminates into one of the most infectious grooves I’ve heard all year. I couldn’t think of a more fitting way to start the record. What follows are lyrics delivered by Love seemingly detailing a first-person account of committing a robbery which is ended with the sound of a gun reloading before launching the listener back into the deep, dark pulse of the song’s chorus. It’s an intro that doesn’t ease the audience into the album but rather throws them straight into it from the get-go. It works extremely effectively as a starting point for the record.

Following Vigilante is another personal favourite, Closer To God. This track again further shows the scale and size the band can create through breakneck drum grooves, eerie synth lines and effects and pulsating bass that surrounds the track entirely. Special mention to drummer Johnny ‘Doghead’ Hutch who is relentless through the duration of the album with tight yet blistering beats that give the songs the bounce they deserve.

As the album continues, we reach the midway point where aforementioned debut single King Of The Slugs sits. It’s positioning in the track list fits perfectly, as the longest and most extravagant track on the album, it feels like a worthy reward set up by the previous four songs and simultaneously works as creating even more excitement for the listener to see what the rest of the album has in store following it. Second single All The Same is next on the album, a song that sounds ripped straight from a futuristic, cyberpunk dance club. It has hints of industrial music paired with synth-punk and techno inspired sounds that creates an image of dystopia and fear whilst also being incredibly infectious and danceable, a line that is very hard to navigate and sit between.

What follows next is I am the King, a song that is described by Love as having been written in the toilets of a Wetherspoons pub after being broken up with. Lyrically it’s one of the simpler songs on the album but is powerful in its simplicity. The repetition of phrases “I am the King” and “Nothing at all” feel like examples of delusion and hubris when followed by lyrics such as “If you think I’m crying for you, I ain’t crying for you.” It’s a track that really sucked me in through the sound and lyricism as it definitely stands out in the album as a whole as an almost outlier much like earlier track Clowns.

WOOF closes how it starts with a spoken word passage that details the end of the ‘story’ closing the album with the line “Through rain or fog, you can kill the man, but you cannot kill the dog” – a lyric that is perfect to mark the end. The sound Fat Dog creates on this album feels unstoppable and takes the listener on such a wildly bonkers ride akin to nothing else I have heard or experienced in 2024 so far. With WOOF, Fat Dog have firmly cemented their status as one of the most exciting and interesting bands in the UK and I for one cannot wait to see what’s next for them.

Here’s Running:

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