Review: Dog Party – Lost Control

Dog Party

Lost Control

Asian Man Records

Street: 08.13

Dog Party = Groovie Ghoulies + The Go-Go’s + Karen O

I wish I was as cool as these girls when I was a teenager. At the time of recording, these Sacramento sisters were only 14 and 17 years old—I could barely pluck out a Nirvana riff when I was 14, and this is their third full-length record. Their driving guitar-and-drum sound is straight up ’77 punk with snotty and sweet lyrics about lame lovers and flamingo encounters.

“Best Friend” is at the most earnest and sentimental side of their poppy punk spectrum, and the fast and fierce “Box of Handkerchiefs” counters with a big dose of DGAF. They flaunt punk credibility with a cover of X’s “Los Angeles,” and the minimal tin-can singing and lonely guitar in the finale “Alright” will melt your heart after they’ve already ripped it out and pogoed on it. Lost Control is Dog Party’s most fun, mature and badass release yet. –Cody Kirkland