Reviewed by Phil Taylor (see his Music Observer blog here)
Release date 29/11/24
Dogs Don’t Deal are back after three years’ silence. The brilliantly-named band is a project involving singer-songwriter and local music scene stalwart Michael Vickers (here, “Mikey V”) along with Sheffield-based producer Cobbler.
They were last heard producing laid-back, lo-fi beats and were gathering some very positive recognition, including radio plays on 6Music and BBC Introducing. After a spell of time away to pursue other projects and life events, they’ve returned with a new sound.
The pair is clearly made to work together. Their new track, The Animal’s Back, apparently began with a beat Cobbler thought up, which triggered inspiration in Michael. He added lyrics reflecting a well-imagined alter ego and other musical touches, the result being an anthemic and slightly rowdy slice of guitar-driven, beat-rich alt-rock.
The track is built around a growly (and very catchy) guitar riff, along with that pushy beat, and overlaid with Mikey V’s declamatory vocals; it’s all East Midlands twang, honest stories and a great piece of character painting.
There’s also a great section in the middle of the track where Michael’s vocals veer almost to rap, the rapid-fire words pouring out relentlessly.
“The word on the street is that he’s back on the map” is one of the chorus hooks that pulls the song along irresistibly; also hinting at the return of Dog’s Don’t Deal – a much more welcome return than The Animal’s!
The homemade video which goes with the song shows the pair at their jovial best, prancing on a hillside, while casually pushing out a banger of a song. This combination of a fun attitude and serious musicality is really engaging. Beautiful honesty is what has always set apart Michael’s projects, and this one is no different.
The duo say they have an album “ready to go”, so we can probably expect more teasers for that long-player over the next weeks before Old Dogs, New Tricks is released in 2025.
Be sure to follow Dogs Don’t Deal on Instagram and Facebook.
Watch the official video for Animal’s Back here.