Their new album (and first for Stomp Records), All Hard Feelings, was recorded at High Wattage Cottage, produced and engineered by Scott Middleton (ex-Cancer Bats), and features guest appearances by The Anti-Queens. All Hard Feelings is as sonically relentless as it is thoughtful. It has its feet firmly planted in hardcore punk rock, but doesn’t shy away from varied influences of noise rock, heavy metal, and rock and roll. Maintaining the sonic onslaught they’ve become known for, but with a few tweaks, bassist Mark Rand assures, “we enjoy being a chaotic and noisy band, but it’s hard not to love a good hook. We made the conscious decision to focus a little more on choruses and memorable parts, but we certainly haven’t become a pop band.” 

Aptly titled, the album’s lyrics journey from the public to the personal, confronting the sociological, psychological, and emotional challenges that many of us face in this life, yet do so in a way that somehow feels simultaneously universal and deeply individual. Vocalist Tracy A elaborates, “the lyrics have always been a critical component of our songwriting, but this record is definitely the most personal for me. I wanted, and needed, to connect with our audience on more than just our shared values, but on shared and difficult emotional experiences, too.” 

Tracy A opens up further, about “Enemy,” which was “written during a dark period, but as someone who is always irritatingly optimistic (evidently, even in the throes of depression), I am forever reminding myself that things will get better. Anyone who has suffered from depression knows how hard it is to be in the liminal space of apathy — the compounding heartbreak of the things you love failing to bring you joy, and feeling powerless against it. Even on my worst days, there is something in me that simply loves being alive — a tiny little spark or reminder is sometimes all that we need to put one foot in front of the other until suddenly, we’re standing somewhere entirely different. Everything changes; and that includes the hard shit (or the hard feelings, as it were). This song is about finding the resolve to just stay alive, one minute at a time, until things inevitably change.”

I won’t retreat, won’t give in to defeat

(Awaken from this nightmare fighting, screaming)

The riffs on All Hard Feelings, coming from a lone bass guitar supplemented by an arsenal of effects pedals and amplifiers, are as heavy as possible without sacrificing clarity. The rhythms are pummeling and are played with the sole purpose of making listeners bang their heads. The vocals are aggressive and in-your-face, while lyrically connecting with listeners through dominant themes of social equity and mental health. 

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“I wrote this song as someone who has been saved by this choice; as someone who has witnessed what happens to unwanted or underserved children in our society; as someone who believes that forced birth is morally wrong,” says lead vocalist Tracy A. “It is intended to be an anthem of solidarity, strength, and empowerment.”

“Don’t try to dictate

A choice you’ll never make

It’s clear your only goals are to oppress and take control”

Formed in 2013, the intentional omission of a guitarist from the lineup leaves Cross Dog lacking absolutely nothing. Affirming the power in the rule of three, Tracy A (vocals), Mark Rand (bass), and Mikey Reid (drums) explode with a multiplicative force that betrays the finite bounds of their instrumental limitations. 

Cross Dog’s All Hard Feelings LP is as noisy and sonically relentless as it is thoughtful. The album has its feet firmly planted in hardcore punk rock, but doesn’t shy away from varied influences of noise rock, heavy metal, and rock and roll. The riffs, coming from a lone bass guitar supplemented by an arsenal of effects pedals and amplifiers, are as heavy as possible without sacrificing clarity. The rhythms are pummeling and are played with the sole purpose of making listeners bang their heads. The vocals are aggressive and in-your-face, while lyrically connecting with listeners through dominant themes of social equity and mental health. Aptly titled, the lyrics journey from the public to the personal, confronting the sociological, psychological, and emotional challenges that many of us face in this life, yet do so in a way that somehow feels simultaneously universal and deeply individual.

The record was recorded at High Wattage Cottage, produced and engineered by Scott Middleton (ex-Cancer Bats), and features guest appearances by The Anti-Queens.

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Cross Dog‘s newest album (and first for Stomp Records), All Hard Feelings (out June 7th), sees the band maintain the sonic onslaught they’ve become known for, but with a few tweaks. “HardFeelings,” the first single to be shared ahead of the LP’s launch, is a pseudo-diss track that stemmed from Tracy feeling blindsided and betrayed. It encapsulates the moment when you are all pure and reactive emotion before you calm down and view your current situation through a healthier, more balanced lens. It’s the perfect “scream-it-in-your-car” song, so you don’t end up screaming it in someone else’s face.

From basements to festival stages, Cross Dog have viciously banged their heads alongside an eclectic bunch of legends like The Misfits, Metz, Preoccupations, Cancer Bats, Good Riddance, War on Women, Fucked Up, Dayglo Abortions, Single Mothers, and many more.

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