Why Dogs Why is the recording project of Alex Johnson, an LA-based songwriter concerned with the terrifying, banal and often ridiculous period that is the twenty-first century. Writing of the single ‘Linus’ back in 2018, we described the Why Dogs Why sound as “a frantic panic […] racing with anxious statements and a certain volatility, as if the whole thing might come apart at the seams at any given moment.” It’s true that this description misses music’s playful, ironic edge, as full album Append featured the lightly self-deprecating ‘Every Party Should Have Jon Marquez’, the upbeat yet biting ‘Put Your $$$ Where Your Mouth Is’ and a bouncy, throaty cover of ‘Material Girl’ to boot.
A series of singles and covers have followed, taking on everything from Martian horses to the dread of self-diagnosing via the internet. The singles game looks to amp up further this year, through what is being tentatively labelled the ‘Why Dogs Why 2021 World Takeover’ with the good folks at Very Jazzed. The first song to see light of day, ‘T.O.C.’ sees Bijan Eghtesady join on drums for what is another distinctive balance between sardonic wit and sincere emotion.
Kicking out of a hazy, easy-going rhythm, the song is a what Johnson describes as a confrontation of “the many feelings one is presented with upon logging on to various social media platforms first thing in the morning.” All of the familiar offenders are present, from the rosy nostalgia and/or existential meltdown courtesy of algorithmic reminders of decade-old events, to general misanthropic rage and a pining for something more straightforward amid the clutter. “Don’t want a lot in life, just some kitchen scissors that actually work,” Johnson sings, “don’t want a lot in life, just to learn to be more like Picard than Kirk.”
Artwork by sammala and Small Factory