French Dogs sound like a band who’ve spent years sweating in sticky backrooms, surviving on cheap lager, delayed trains and blind optimism, and that lived-in chaos gives this record its greatest strength: authenticity.
Opening with Broken Glass, the London five-piece immediately establish their identity. The guitars bite, the slightly off vocals carry a rough-edged urgency, and the whole thing feels like it’s hurtling downhill with the brakes disconnected. The title track Here’s to Pretending has a cool Stereophonics vibe, the jangly slightly off tuned guitars work too.
One of the album’s biggest successes is Tucker’s Having a Baby, It feels like a snapshot lifted from a pub conversation at closing time, while Love Don’t Change Enough digs into emotional stagnation with surprising maturity. French Dogs consistently find compelling stories in ordinary lives, which gives the record a relatable pull that many contemporary indie bands struggle to achieve.
The middle section is particularly strong. Flicked From Brick Lane starts with a screen and goes straight into a punk riff, nice on, I needed that little pick me up. Car Crash Lovers slides back to more indie vibes. Tiny Islands provides a brief emotional breather, revealing a more reflective side to the band, we have a Accoustic salad on our hands here and its stunning, while Treasure demonstrates their ability to write a genuinely memorable hook without sacrificing grit.
At ten tracks, it’s never bloated, but some of the songs rely on very similar sonic tricks. The jangling guitar lines, shout-along choruses and relentless energy can begin to blur together during longer listening sessions. the eternal battle for most albums.
A Day So Long helps break it up again, allowing vulnerability to sit comfortably alongside the noise. Final track Movie Scenes ends proceedings with a fitting sense of reflection, almost as if the band are watching their own chaotic journey unfold from a distance.
What makes Here’s to Pretending work is that French Dogs never sound like they’re chasing trends. There are echoes of early 2000s indie, flashes of punk attitude and shades of Britpop storytelling, but the record ultimately belongs to them. The songwriting is sharp, the performances are committed and the energy is infectious.
Here’s to Pretending is messy in all the right places, full of personality, and powered by the kind of restless ambition that can’t be manufactured. French Dogs have arrived with a debut that captures the beauty and frustration of modern life, shouting every word over a wall of guitars while the world burns around them.
FOLLOW FRENCH DOGS HERE
CHECK OUT THE LATEST RGM TRENDING MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS HERE