Dogrel
by Fontaines D.C.
  • Record Label: PTKF
  • Release Date: Apr 12, 2019
User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 77 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 70 out of 77
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 77
  3. Negative: 4 out of 77
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  1. Bmccormick40
    May 6, 2019
    4
    Not outright bad, and that's a problem. I would have preferred bad to simply boring. Dogrel is an album that, at best, offers a glimmer of something better, bigger, maybe original, but can't quite stumble its way out of the dark. It feels frustratingly limited, in every sense of the word.

    Fontaines DC make general stabs in several directions, and at least they ape some good bands while    Not outright bad, and that's a problem. I would have preferred bad to simply boring. Dogrel is an album that, at best, offers a glimmer of something better, bigger, maybe original, but can't quite stumble its way out of the dark. It feels frustratingly limited, in every sense of the word.

    Fontaines DC make general stabs in several directions, and at least they ape some good bands while doing so. Roy's Tune sounds like the most insipid song The Smiths never got around to making fronted by Parquet Court's Andrew Savage at his most ambivalent and deadpan. Hurricane Laughter seems to slouch in the direction of Viagra Boys or Protomartyr, but lacks the clever sneer of the former and the resigned anger of the latter. The song gets stuck in a four-note sequence from which it can't escape; all bones and no meat.

    Even Too Real, perhaps the most likeable tune here, wrings dissonance, impotent guitar theatrics, and non-key vocals for all they're worth, effectively turning what could have been original elements into more pastels in the band's arsenal full of them. When you realize singer Grian Chatten is asking over and over, "Is it too real for yaaa?" it makes you want to respond in the affirmative, and plead with him to get some imagination.

    It doesn't help that Chatten closely toes the line of insouciant indie rock cliche: Is he a singer who just isn't bothered by the way the syllables are coming out of his mouth or is it a case of no **** given as shorthand for "cool?" It disappoints me to have to pose that question.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

28
#28 Best Album of 2019
24
#24 Most Shared Album of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86

Universal acclaim - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. PopMatters
    Dec 2, 2019
    70
    Post-punk has new blood coursing through its veins, transcendently authentic, and boisterously good. You'll want to give Dogrel a listen.
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  2. AllMusic
    Jun 26, 2019
    80
    Although it paints a picture that best fits a degraded postcard, it's relatable in its own earnest way with a poetic air and a sense of urgency.
    Read full review
  3. No Ripcord
    May 10, 2019
    80
    They're smart, clueless, and ready to take the festival circuit by storm.
    Read full review
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