There was never any real chance of Fat Dog following up their 2024 debut Woof with anything that sounded much like it – repetition – and boredom – are pains that frontman Joe Love doesn’t subscribe to.
It’s a way of thinking reflected in it’s title – Cancel Me (I’m Tired) isn’t so much a challenge to the outside world as an inner monologue using the phrase for motivation. Love’s an obsessive character when it comes to his music after all, hiring and firing band members with a Mark. E zeal and sleeping three hours a night whilst in the studio. The results of his mild psychosis take form as a less in your face Fat Dog, one which aspires to rise above the chaotic hedonism of their live shows.
True, for the moral majority the bouncing Go Fuck Yrself will be hard to reconcile with that – even if it’s such brilliant fun – but there is a vulnerability to Call It What You Want’s exploration of hereditary flaws, whilst the closer Aliens has a freak out vibe that sets course for another galaxy. In places as harsh sounding as implied, particularly on the snarling opener Smile and Wave, Cancel Me (I’m Tired) is no product of a sleep deprived fever dream, but instead sticks Fat Dog on the list of bands to keep investing time in. No cancellation required.
You can read a full review here.
