Jonah Westrich
Guitarist Connor Yarbrough, left, and bassist/vocalist Rick Sowl.
Want to feel old? On Feb. 1, Dookie, the groundbreaking album by legendary punk band Green Day, turned 25. And within the landscape of rock, it’s not hard to trace the influence of the California trio.
Take, for example, Madison’s own No Love Dog. Their debut EP Diamond in the Ruff is far more tripped out than Dookie, but it’s got the same ramshackle scrappiness. And it doesn’t hurt that singer/bassist Rick Sowl’s tentative vocals can at times sound a lot like Billie Joe Armstrong, down to the occasional slip into what sounds like a faux-British accent. But that’s where the immediate similarities end.
No Love Dog, technically speaking, has existed for some time already. You may know them as Bassliss, the band that was crowned “Favorite Rock Band” in Isthmus’ Mad Faves poll in 2018. But after parting ways with singer Dexter Ray, the remaining three members regrouped as No Love Dog. Here, Sowl handles vocal duties, with Connor Yarbrough on guitar and Hayden Johnson on drums. On Diamond in the Ruff, it’s clear the three are comfortable playing together.
Another similarity to Bassliss is the injection of funk into the alt-rock sound. No Love Dog’s hybrid sound marries fuzzy riffing to intricate low-end rhythms. In particular, “Dirk” and the instrumental “Depths” have Yarbrough riffing like J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), propelled by Johnson’s furious drumming. But anyone familiar with Bassliss could tell you these guys have chops. Diamond in the Ruff mostly serves as Sowl’s introduction as a lead vocalist.
He’s getting there. At times, Sowl sounds uncomfortable behind the mic, as if he’s still finding his voice. Learning to front a rock band takes practice. Even the great Dave Grohl had reservations about his vocals on the Foo Fighters’ 1995 debut, overlaying effects to mask his own insecurities. But in the recordings, Sowl’s voice is left mostly untouched, using its rawness to add a punk-rock edge to No Love Dog’s turbo funk. And his performance on “Broken Arrow” has a half-spoken, slacker-rock vibe to it that shows a lot of promise.
No Love Dog will start a three-week Midwest tour with Antighost from Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Feb. 23.
I look forward to watching the evolution of No Love Dog. Dookie, after all, was Green Day’s third album. I have no doubt that the band will coalesce into a truly peculiar force, with its blistering, trippy guitar and aching vocals. Diamond in the Ruff isn’t perfect, and No Love Dog still has a lot of learning to do. But their debut is an excellent place to start.
