Dog Date - Zinger
In 2009 Nashville, Tennessee had a magical band. A six-piece with three guitars and hair metal riffs out the wazoo, Diarrhea Planet was a raucous joyride through every juvenile joke ever made. Come 2018, however, they disbanded, and left a diarrhea-sized hole in our collective heart.
Dog Date heard our plight, and stepped up to provide the pepto bismol for our ailing stomachs. The New York City five piece may not have three guitars (they have two drummers instead), but that doesn’t stop them from creating the same kind of exuberant ruckus their predecessors did. Through its eleven brisk tracks, Zinger shows that Dog Date is ready to step up to the plate and shows that they have the chutzpah to carry the mantle.
“Nirvana” kicks things off with beer-soaked push pit riffs sure to delight the mind and enchant the senses. A succinct foray into the sublime even makes an appearance as Dog Date shows they are as sensitive as they are jubilant. “Nuff Said” and “Spine Transfer” follow as the band looks to Tennessee once again to commune with the spirit of native-son Jay Reatard. Borrowing from his prolific catalog during his brief stint as a solo artist on Matador Records, they are as bouncy as his best, albeit less paranoid and depressed.
“F Bomb” and “Duplo” fly by, the former a snarky question posed to the listener while the former helps to showcase the band’s impressive instrumentation. “Cruel World Reversal” continues the trend as the band launches into their mathiest song so far. Still spry and never self indulgent, power pop hooks soar before taking a break for a little tapping. “Xipe” gives the double drummer attack a chance to shine only hinted at prior. Overlaying tom patterns are complemented by sparse and chanted vocals.
Triumph turns to infliction as Dog Date reaches their closer, “I Love That Story”. Recuperating from the exultant excess of all that comes before it, it is whisper-quiet amid a clamorous sea. An appropriate ending to an astounding journey, Zinger revels in its last few, tumultuous moments.
