The Dog Indiana definitely have a sound all their own even though the influence of bands like Fugazi and Nirvana are very apparent. It’s funny that the part of Nirvana they are more influenced by is none of the Beatles-ish pop aspect but instead is the noisy sections of tracks like “Radio Friendly Shifter Unit” or “Floyd The Baraber”. “Hyrdroxydramaqueen” is a standout track for me upon first listen. Certain songs we get more of an Idles type vibe with respects to the vocals and then other times like on the track mentioned we get more of an all out Tom Araya of Slayer vibe. Screamy shouted vocals over driving dissonant music makes this band stand apart from their peers as it has more of a Fugazi and Sonic Youth vibe rather than a metal feel. The band prides themselves on building a sonic wall of reverb, feedback and distortion as tracks use quiet loud dynamics to harken back to the 90’s feel of songwriting. The band has been building their sound meticulously through the past 6 years through recording and touring.

The band says of the new album Burnt Ends that it is an “exploration of the feelings of helplessness and isolation that shook so much of the world in the last few years. Channeling pent-up energy into explosive tracks”.  The lyrical content is often dark and uses a very Nirvana-ish way of expressing feelings through more of a stream of consciousness. Overall the band has a very grunge aesthetic and sounds like a group that works very well with each other, honing chaos into something tangible and listenable. Other tracks like “Matchsticks” kind of give a vibe like the band Failure but without the grandiose chorus kicking in until almost 5 minutes into the track. It somewhat stays simplistic and feels like it’s modeled after Nirvana’s “Something In The Way” until the big grinding loud climax. Some moments of this as well have a darkness that reminds me of Bauhaus and some of their weirder recordings on ‘The Sky’s Gone Out’ or ‘Burning From The Inside’.

This may very well appeal to fans of My Bloody Valentine for the mixture of odd guitar tones and washed out feedback loops. I feel like there is a broad array of things this band does well that will appeal to a wide variety of music listeners who enjoy a more abstract musical experience as opposed to any sort of pop aspects. Overall ‘Burnt Ends’ delivers.