MEGASOUND - 'Dog Leash'
The result of old friends combining their power and experience to step into a new era, Dog Leash is instant-vintage slacker indie from Megasound, a supergroup formed from members of Bad Bad Habits and Party Nails. Tinged though it is with the snarl and spit of 20’s girl-fronted rock, this song is altogether more melodic than a lot of the rest of the scene, leaning on a procession of hooky sections, which absolutely ache to be played on the airwaves. Megasound have attitude and edge for sure, but they’ve struck the pop balance on Dog Leash. It’s crisp, clean and ready to hook itself into your brain from the first listen.
Elana Carrol’s super-cool vocal take is the main attraction, standing front and centre in the mix. She’s somewhere between Alanis Morissette and Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker on Dog Leash, building through the verses with steady restraint before hitting top gear as the chorus drops. “Get your fill, say your piece/I’m a dog but I’m not on your leash” is the self-assured final couplet which ties the whole song together. This song about the oddly beneficial co-dependence that forms a disinterested relationship will resonate with anyone who’s ever thought “Just why the hell am I with this person, anyway?”
Dog Leash re-forms some key themes of Xennial indie rock - Boredom, sarcasm, the social battleground - and comes from it’s own angle, providing a fresh take on some familiar sounds. Rock music’s been around forever, so it’s hard to come out with something truly unique with such well-worn genre staples as Megasound have, but they manage to burrow into a comfortable niche, working together in the way only close friends can. It all sounds so easy, like they came up with this tune in 30 minutes. It’s energetic and spontaneous, bringing an underlying authenticity to complement the snark.
Dog Leash gets topped-off with a perfectly-placed, towering guitar solo from Chris Hoge. The rest of the song is purposefully straightforward three-piece rock, however the final 30 seconds allows the vocals to give way for this triumphant outro, opening up the sound for the band to really enjoy themselves in the final throes. It’s reminiscent of shades and cigarettes on stage, black-walled rock clubs and a tight mass of fans squeezed up inches away from the stage monitors. Dog Leash is firmly placed in the 2000s rock landscape Megasound grew up with, one which is enjoying a revival in recent years - Not before time too!
Words by Adam Davidson
