Cross Dog – All Hard Feelings

Peterborough, Ontario punks Cross Dog have been raising hell for a little over a decade now and they’ve only gotten louder and more assertive with each passing release. The self-identified feminist punk troupe likes their punk raw, unfiltered and all up in your face.  This ain’t no sugar-coated Fat Wreck Chords girl-punk, this is a fist-raising, stick-it-to-the-man and start a revolution uprising (for the record, I love female fronted Fat Wreck Chords bands and I’m saying this strictly for effect).

Their latest full length, All Hard Feelings, marks their Stomp Records debut and modern manifesto that makes no apologies for cutting through the pleasantries and exposing systemic structures of oppression and control.  The album was produced and engineered by ex-Cancer Bats guitarist Scott Middleton, which comes across in the heavy, bone crunching riffs and thick, sludgy hardcore soundscape.  Vocalist Tracey A shouts with a bark that cuts every bit as deep as her bite, while bassist Mark Rand and drummer Mikey Reid fuel the visceral onslaught of sonic chaos.  

According to the band, their latest album experiments more with hooks than with past outings.  In that regard, All Hard Feelings is a touch like labelmates Boids’ most recent output – more prone to leaning into melody than in the past, but still too abrasive for the faint of heart.  Songs like “Jane Roe” serve as a damning statement about the recent rollback of abortion rights in America, with Tracey A howling, “Our rights are human rights, We’re never going back.”  Her battlecry alone contains enough conviction to single handedly carry a capital hill protest.  Meanwhile, “Collateral Damage,” paints an image of victim shaming in a world where society gives a free pass to the perpetrator based on societal privilege.  “Chokehold” is particularly aggressive, fully committing to a thrashy hardcore-punk persona, complete with chugging riffs, guttural vocals, and a chorus that unleashes the beast in the lines, “break the chains, free the rage / to the point of no return, it’s not a slow burn!”  Cross Dogs mince no words and never mask their energy or blunt their resolve.

All Hard Feelings accomplishes exactly what Cross Dogs set out to achieve – pummel listeners with ten tracks of unrelenting social truths.  The passion is unmistakable, and the delivery is uncompromising.  Those looking to express their political angst without any sort of restraint of reserve will feel right at home with All Hard Feelings.  If this doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, I imagine Cross Dogs would tell you that you’ve come to (or are part of) the wrong party, so plug your ears and keep on walking.