St. John’s most eclectic slacker rock band Dogfish released their debut album on June 1st, and rest assured there are “no cats and no rats.”
The album, titled Cassette Ape, has all the band’s hallmarks: loud guitar, fuzzed out vocals, charming lyricism, and playful quips that make Dogfish a highly anticipated set on any local show’s bill. In short – these guys are just so fun.
Prior to the release of Cassette Ape, Dogfish dropped two singles, CSSW (Can’t See, Still Walking), and I Will. They also put out two EPs in 2023 that were well-received by the scene, Shirts Versus and Dogfish.
Dogfish is composed of Owen Finn, Micheal Arnold, Micheal Shallow, Tyler Herrit, Robert Piercey and Thomas Drover. Apart from Drover, who only plays the alto saxophone, it would be redundant to specify which instruments each member plays, since this band alternates based on each song. This makes for fantastically engaging performances, and gives each member opportunity to showcase their musical talents.
Songwriting and Production
“Things really fell into place with Dogfish where everyone was on the same page,” said Micheal Arnold in an interview on Muse News.
“It wasn’t a band where someone came together and was like ‘I have 13 songs, everyone learn their parts.’ [It’s like] ‘I have this one puzzle piece, but we need to get everything else figured out.’ From there, it was a great opportunity to learn other instruments too. None of us played drums before.“
Most of the band members learned new instruments for the band to achieve their ‘circuit’ style of performing with each of them swapping instruments depending on the song. Each member of Dogfish brings a unique musical perspective to the songwriting process, collectively transforming prospective songs into something representative of every person’s individual style.
“When I bring [songs] to Dogfish, everyone’s got their own way of playing something. Mike [Arnold] on the drums is very different from me on the drums, different from [Micheal] Shallow on the drums. All those things just shape it into such a different spot that I think changes it more than anything,” Owen Finn said.
With better recording gear and a more diligent production process than ever before, courtesy of Nick Hunt who recorded the album, Dogfish seemed quite pleased with the evolution in terms of sound quality from their EPs to this project.
“As far as recording goes, it just sounds better than the rest of our stuff,” said Arnold, “the rest of our stuff is like, if you’re watching a YouTube video and it’s like ‘why is this in 144p?’ … We’re touching 720p now.”
“We had more mics in that room than we’ve ever seen before,” Finn joked.
Album Themes and Motifs
Cassette Ape is primarily an album about vices, playing on those classic Newfoundland stereotypes painting Newfies as chronically over-indulgent in things like gambling, drinking and smoking.
Finn and Arnold, however, emphasized that they don’t aim to mock or condone overusing such vices as coping mechanisms, instead commenting on how overindulgence can lead to unhealthy habits and avoidant behaviors.
“You have moments of clarity when you do [these things] so much that you look at it and you’re like, man, I don’t feel like I’m making that much progress,” said Finn.
“It’s kind of like growing up here – and I love it here – but I also feel like the isolatedness of just being on an island.. and the weather and the seasonal depression all lends itself to vices.”
Cassette Ape is incredibly self aware, and honestly, quite silly at times, but Dogfish achieves this without sacrificing emotional depth and maturity.
The thematic bounds of Cassette Ape are substantial, likely a product of collaboration between all six members in terms of songwriting and composition. Within the record’s short runtime of just under 30 minutes, it covers impressive ground with songs about wanting to win big on the slots so you never have to work again like 14 Legs, and songs about struggling with loss so and not feeling like you’re enough for someone like Bye June.
Dogfish and ‘Bits’
If there’s anything at all that this band has an affinity for, it’s a silly bit at their shows. Often, the band members will dress up as characters from popular culture such as Family Guy or The Simpsons for their performances, complete with show-goers playing live games of Smash Brothers Melee, projected onto stage as a backdrop.
Cassette Ape features many “interludes” – not musical instrumentals as the name suggests, but scripted bits detailing hilarious scenes like checking lottery tickets and debating what beer is the best. According to Dogfish, the correct answer is “whatever’s in the fridge.”
It’s evident that Dogfish is a band that likes to joke around and have fun, but that in no way discounts their raw musical talent and robust lyricism, displayed on their first full-length LP, truly a project of creative collaboration between all six band members.
The band’s future is quite uncertain at the moment, as a couple members plan to move out of the province, but for now, their album has received immense praise from local music fans and beyond.
Listen to Cassette Ape by Dogfish here, and check out the full Muse News interview on Youtube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Listen to future episodes of Muse News, Mondays at noon at CHMR 93.5FM or online.
