Starting life as the solo project of singer and guitarist Harriet Elder, Dogeyed expanded to include Tim Rowing-Parker (of Caves) on bass and Jonathan Minto (of Woahnows) on drums. Back in 2018, the Bristol outfit released the debut EP, Throw the Bones, on Specialist Subject Records, introducing their sad and scrappy brand of indie rock. For while the intimacy of the solo bedroom origins are still apparent, Dogeyed has evolved real teeth too, Elder’s vocals capable of both pensive croons and fierce yelling—with echoes of Frances Quinlan’s throaty snarls adding a real sense of resolve.
Last autumn, the band offered a take on Nicholson Heal’s ‘Joint Pain‘ for a cover compilation by Breakfast Records, a track that hinted at the direction of the Dogeyed sound. A previously unseen richness was now present, a fuller sound that sacrificed none of the urgency of Throw the Bones, suggestive of a band really finding their feet.
Dogeyed have now returned with ‘Kalimotxo’, a brand new single on Specialist Subject, and we find them further into this development. In drawing out some of the tempo of previous releases, the track evokes the sluggish weight of sadness, the shuffling drums and sparse guitar trying to shake free of a lingering inertia. But once again it is Elder’s delivery that truly instigates the emotional resonance of the sound, ranging from a kind of ambling acceptance to anxious spoken word, though every so often her words gather in intensity, a sense of hard-won resilience glinting behind the pain.
Together we walked in the rain, left my coat and home again
Why did you run to get away from me?
Discourse circles down the drain but you’re never straight with me anyway
Ran so fast to get away from me.Blue, you always fail me when I need you the most
Your worst, just flows out. I’m tired and restless now.