With riffs and hooks to spare, Michigan’s Dogleg is perfectly positioned for success. Their debut album has everything alternative music today needs, and the band still has more to offer.
Kanye West said it best. The Midwest is young and reckless. Dogleg, the latest in a long line of alternative bands to rise from the mitten state in recent years, is chasing dreams of changing lives and selling records with a passion unmatched by their peers. The band’s Triple Crown Records debut, Melee, speaks to that ferocity with ten songs built upon all the angst and stress of trying to survive in our modern times. It’s a cathartic collection of high hopes and broken dreams that reaches through the speakers with each note and lyric, urging listeners to get off their ass and influence positive change in the world around them.
But let’s back up. The beauty of Dogleg’s music is that it recognizes the struggle to develop, let alone maintain an optimistic outlook. The world is on fire in more ways than one, and heartache is readily available anywhere you dare to look. Elected officials have let us down, ecosystems are crumbling, and there is an undeniable sense of panic in the air. These problems are not necessarily new or in need of examination, but they do outline the contributing factors behind many smaller, more personal battles individuals face daily. Dogleg’s music speaks to those struggles, and they seek to see brighter days through perseverance. They write songs about holding onto friends as you age and fighting for a livable wage. Their music speaks to the souls of working-class folk trying to their best to get by with unwavering recognition that they are still more blessed than most.
In the simplest terms, Dogleg’s Melee is a collection of anthem for underdogs being released when underdogs need it most. The band had no way of predicting the way the world would look when the record dropped, but the chaos surrounding us only makes the points being made on Melee. Dogleg wants you to feel good enough for the things and people you love, but they also want you to consider everyone else and the role you play in the world at large. You can be a leader or a follower, but you cannot be an asshole. Possessing empathy is more far more punk than your ego, which is a lessoned outlined on this record many times over. We need one another now more than ever, and through the help of Dogleg’s music, we can come together to create a better future for everyone.
