Dogs Eating Dogs

Dogs Eating Dogs
EP by Blink-182
Released December 18, 2012
Recorded November 2012, at Neverpants Ranch
(San Diego, California)
Opra Music Studios
(Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length 18:59
Producer
Blink-182 chronology

Neighborhoods
(2011)		 Dogs Eating Dogs
(2012)		 Icon
(2013)

Dogs Eating Dogs is an EP by the American punk rock band Blink-182 released on December 18, 2012. Self-produced by the band, it is the first recording that was self-released after their departure from Interscope/DGC in October 2012.[1][2]

Recording and production

After Neighborhoods, the band felt the recording methods used were inadequate. Tom DeLonge, who originally advocated the method of using separate studios/e-mails to dictate the majority of the recording, admitted that it led to a loss of unity.[3] Travis Barker noted that, "there's some songs on there that I love, but for the most part it was disconnected. It was like, 'You do this part in your studio, and then you're gonna play on it and send it back to me.' When we're not in the studio together, you don't have the opportunity to gel off each other." In addition, Barker was still recovering from his 2008 accident and was still healing.[4] During the band's 20th Anniversary Tour in Europe, Barker was the first to approach DeLonge and Hoppus with the idea of immediately returning to the studio in the fall. "It was like three days after Halloween and Tom was like, 'Dude, we should do that!'" They entered the studio on November 5. They found a flexibility to do things their own way without label intervention and it inspired creativity and agility. Mark Hoppus described: "It was great, ideas falling everywhere. Lots of long hours spent on five new songs. [...] The band is in a great place creatively. Having everyone in the same room at the same time makes all the difference for us."[5]

In a 2015 facebook post, Tom DeLonge expressed frustration with the process of recording Dogs Eating Dogs, saying that "the EP was the test. Months later, we’re recording those songs. I was in the studio for two months and they came in for around 11 days. I didn’t mind leading the charge, but we had all agreed to give it 100%. And this time- no baggage. Despite that, we still somehow managed to self-sabotage. At one point, squabbling and politics forced me to pull the EP down at a time when 60,000 fans were trying to purchase it. And that blew my mind. I’d been trying so hard but that moment ultimately broke my spirit. I then realized that this band couldn't lose the years of ill will. It was after that episode that I promised myself I would never be in that position again – to rely on the words we said to each other. I remember asking one of them on the phone, “did you try your best? Like we all agreed to?” He was silent." [6]

Composition
"Boxing Day"
"Boxing Day" combines acoustic instrumentation and sleigh bells with electronic drums.[7]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The EP's opening track, "When I Was Young", revisits childhood from an adult viewpoint. Spin described the track as "cynical but sentimental", comparing the opening pipe organ to Arcade Fire.[8] The title track is led by Hoppus and has been compared to Hoppus and Barker's previous side project, +44, and the band Alkaline Trio. Alternative Press referred to it as the "angriest, most aggressive song" on the EP.[9] "Disaster" opens with "manipulated radio frequencies and anthemic marching drum hits" that recalls DeLonge's band Angels & Airwaves.[9] "Boxing Day", originally titled "The Day After Christmas", began as an acoustic folk number before Barker added an electronic drum kit, creating what Hoppus described as a "real kind of indie, strange, cool vibe to it."[7] The fifth and final track, "Pretty Little Girl", was originally titled "I Got My Eye On You" and was written by DeLonge for his wife.[7] It features a guest appearance from rapper Yelawolf. The track carries a new wave influence and synthesizers are most prominent in the mix.[9]

Promotion, release, and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AbsolutePunk 7/10[10]
Allmusic [11]
Alternative Press [9]
Kerrang! [12]

A week prior to the EP's release, the song "Boxing Day" was streamed through Alternative Press.[13] Dogs Eating Dogs received generally positive reviews from music critics. Scott Heisel of Alternative Press gave it a pre-release review of high acclaim saying it is "just as strong if not stronger than anything on Neighborhoods." [9] Keagan Ilvonen of AbsolutePunk stated that the EP is "a refreshing but yet an exciting point in their career. They aren’t afraid to experiment and fail, while still continuing on with the legacy they've created. While the EP isn't the best material of the band's career, it shows a promising future that looked ever so bleak just a mere three years ago. If the band continues on this path, they are sure to please not only their fans, but also themselves as they age".[10] Allmusic writer Gregory Heaney said the EP "will surprise anyone who might have tuned out after 'All the Small Things' dominated the airwaves, but given the newfound maturity in their sound, the change is one that's both expected and welcomed."[11] Writer of Kerrang! magazine Paul Travers said "the overall effect is one of a versatile, diffuse, but somehow far more focused collection of songs than were present on Neighborhoods. Added with those elements of their classic sound and what we have here is a stopgap EP that promises even greater things ahead for blink-182."[12]

In 2013, Chris Payne of Billboard referred to the EP as "underrated."[14]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Blink-182, except where noted. 

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "When I Was Young"    3:28
2. "Dogs Eating Dogs"    3:30
3. "Disaster"    3:42
4. "Boxing Day"    3:59
5. "Pretty Little Girl"  
 4:20
Total length:
 18:59

Personnel

Blink-182
Production
Additional musicians

Chart performance

Chart (2012) Peak position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[15] 21
US Billboard 200[16] 23
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[17] 2
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[18] 5
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[19] 3

References

  1. ↑ Rolling Stone staff (November 19, 2012). "Blink-182 Pick Release Date for New EP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  2. ↑ McGovern, Kyle. "Blink-182 Unleash 'dogs eating dogs' EP Details". http://www.spin.com. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Tom DeLonge talks guitar tones, growing up and Blink". Total Guitar (Bath, United Kingdom: Future Publishing). October 12, 2012. ISSN 1355-5049. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
  4. ↑ Dan Hyman (November 13, 2012). "Blink-182 EP 'A Hundred Times Better' Than Neighborhoods, Says Travis Barker". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  5. ↑ James Montgomery (November 13, 2012). "Exclusive: Blink-182's Mark Hoppus Reveals Details Of Band's New EP". MTV News. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  6. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/officialtomdelonge/posts/868156439873363
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Scott Heisel (December 11, 2012). "Interview: Mark Hoppus on Blink-182’s new EP, the end of Hoppus On Music and Future Idiots". Alternative Press. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  8. ↑ Kyle McGovern (December 17, 2012). "Hear Blink-182 Look Back in Anger on 'When I Was Young'". Spin. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Heisel, Scott (December 13, 2012). "Review: Dogs Eating Dogs EP". Alternative Press. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ilvonen, Keagan. "Blink 182 - Dogs Eating Dogs". AbsolutePunk. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Heaney, Gregory. "Dogs Eating Dogs". Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Travers, Paul (December 19, 2012). "Blink-182 Dogs Eating Dogs EP". Kerrang! (Bauer Media Group) (19/12/12): 68. ISSN 0262-6624.
  13. ↑ Whitt, Cassie (December 10, 2012). "Song Stream: Blink-182, 'Boxing Day'". Alternative Press. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  14. ↑ Chris Payne (September 12, 2013). "Blink-182 Rock Brooklyn Club Gig: Live Review". Billboard. Retrieved September 12, 2013.