Ever wondered what would happen if a fearless little dog chased a lumbering bear out of your living room and then immediately started shouting at politicians? Probably not, but Jodie Langford has, and the result is the gloriously unhinged Dog Vs Bear.
Fresh from her excellent debut album Softly Spoken, Hull’s reigning queen of spoken-word party punk proves once again that she’s incapable of releasing anything dull. Our favourite artist returns with another blast of wit, anger, and enough energy to make three espressos seem unnecessary.
Inspired by a viral video of a tiny dog sending a black bear packing, Dog Vs Bear cleverly turns that unlikely victory into a metaphor for standing up to powerful people who would rather the rest of us stayed quiet. It’s funny, furious, and frighteningly relevant all at once. Langford’s lyrics take aim at political hypocrisy, greed, and those happy to profit while looking the other way as the world seems to lose its collective mind.
Thankfully, righteous indignation comes wrapped in irresistible noise. Endoflevelbaddie once again proves to be the perfect musical partner, throwing together pounding drums, rumbling bass and razor-sharp guitar riffs that race along like that brave little dog with absolutely no sense of self-preservation. It’s chaotic in all the right ways.
What makes Jodie Langford so consistently brilliant is that she never preaches from a podium. Instead, she invites you into the mosh pit, hands you a microphone, and somehow makes outrage feel strangely cathartic. Dog Vs Bear snarls, laughs, and bites hard, reminding us that sometimes the smallest voices make the biggest noise. Another superb release from an artist who simply doesn’t miss.
Review by Thomas Imposter