Tonight, we let the Dogs Run Free: 2 Song Promo brings on exciting early Summer listening.
Release Date: April 18, 2025
Rating: 5/5
Cleveland Ohio’s very own, Dogs Run Free has the exceptional ability to make the most out of their songs. Built from several channels of inspiration, “2 Song Promo” gives a snapshot of influences across numerous genres such as alternative and new wave. The new singles fearlessly charge into the dichotomy of heavy and chill to deliver high energy tracks that I found myself listening to over and over - music that will certainly be appearing on the impending summer playlist.
IKYKTIK makes a running start out the gate with a high energy banger that's hard not to notice. It’s punky, it’s heavy, it's fun, and it’s exciting. In my interview with the band, they told us “I Know You Know That I Know is kind of like my response to a song called Real on the EP, it's kind of like the sister song. Kind of just took what he wrote for that song and ran with that storyline, if there even is one. That’s what happened.” "IKYKTIK" even brings on sprinkling in some tri-tones near the end, and I feel like a lot of the stylistic choices as far as the chord progression go really make this song pop even further. This one made an appearance on my gym playlist, and is one I’m especially stoked about.
Dogs Run Free’s cover of Wicca Phase Springs Eternal’s Farm is a shoegazey, down to earth counterpart from its twin on this release. This type of contrast has a lot to offer – “Farm” makes for a windows down in the car type of listening on a hot summer day. My favorite aspect of this cover was how they represented the original song well - but truly recreated it in the style of their own signature Dogs Run Free sound. I think the ability to respectfully pay homage to an artist you enjoy and appreciate is a true skill and even more so an art form - it really is an incredible thing when done right, and Dogs Run Free does this very well.
“2 Song Promo” are some songs that I think would qualify as hitting the spot for me. These tracks have quite a lot to offer for being just 2 songs. “Dogs Run Free” is a group that delivers a lot of originality in their music, and it's clearly shown on this release. If new wave and alternative music is something you’re into, this is a release I’d highly recommend.
You can listen to 2 Song Promo here
You can listen to Real, the response to IKYKTIK here
