Street Dogs – State of Grace

In their short time together, The Street Dogs have done quite a lot. In five years they’ve released four full lengths, an EP and a split. Unlike most bands who spit out that kind of output, each and every release is able to stand out on their own. However, it is only now on State of Grace that the band has really found themselves. It is the album which will define them, help them progress and be the definite Street Dogsalbum. Its the album that you can point out when someone asks “What does this band sound like?” because now the Boston street punks have found their place in the world, stepped out of the Dropkick Murphys shadow and found a sound that is their own.

Yes, State Of Grace is still seeped in celtic influences, just listen to Two Angry Kids and you can hear that; but they’ve also gone for a more street smart punk here. Instead of a drinking album or fully celtic sound, The Street Dogs have created a record with a more blue-collar sound than anything they’ve done before; which is saying a lot considering Fading American Dream and Savin Hill were both seeped in blue collar references but State of Grace just seems more prominent. It has tinges of oi! greats like Sham 69 and even some Clash elements too, all wrapped together in a pumping rhythm that isn’t afraid to slow it down when needed. Ted Hutt’s (Bouncing Souls, Flogging Molly, Chuck Ragan) production helps push that sound forward by creating a well rounded Boston blue collared punk record.

There’s also a nice sense of diversity amongst the songs. For every fist pumping anthem like Guns or Into The Valley, there’s also a slower one like Elizabeth which shines thanks to guest vocals by Heather Waters that contrasts Mike McColgan’s pipes perfectly. This ability to slow down and think has also trickled into McColgan’s lyrics and he leaves behind the drinking songs for a more honest, heart felt territory. From the touching eulogy of Kevin J. O’Toole, to the aforementioned tribute track Elizabeth, State of Grace has a somber layering to it but it also has some hope embedded within it. Like The General’s Boombox which is a tribute to the late Joe Strummer that doesn’t lament over his death but instead shines the light of the spark he ignited within a new generation of musician or the folk-inspired closer, Free,depicts a tale of finding safety within music against all odds. Both songs have slightly disparaing content but sung with a hopeful outlook.

In the end, it is the honesty of the songs that make them more relatable and more memorable than anything the band has done before and even though they’ve already had three records out beforehand, State of Grace is the record that truly defines who The Street Dogs are.