Album review: The Scratch – Pull Like A Dog

A decade or so back, shoppers and tourists on the streets of Dublin would have first encountered The Scratch as buskers playing energetic acoustic instrumentals. These curious onlookers might not have guessed that most of this folk-flavoured crew had until recently been in a metal band supporting the likes of Parkway Drive and Architects. But as the quartet developed their sound, bringing in electric guitars and the sort of Celtic punk vibes that get you a U.S. tour with Dropkick Murphys, those early influences started to make their presence felt.

Third album Pull Like A Dog is where The Scratch fully show their steel. The fleet-fingered picking and weapons-grade riffing of the opening title track blasts away any border between Irish trad and balls-out rock, while the chunky grooves of Gladrags incorporate nu-metal stylings as effortlessly as the last Soft Play record. Roses N Poses is another addictive tune utilising the attention-grabbing techniques internalised from their busking beginnings. It’s easy to imagine any of these songs holding large festival crowds rapt.

The tone here is broad enough to encompass the tender ballad I Hope All Is Forgiven and poetic closer Ringsend. More often, though, Pull Like A Dog has it both ways. Pullin’ Teeth and Crack sound like Fontaines DC tailoring their sound for a Bloodstock audience, while the breezy twang of Horsefly is no barrier to its gradual evolution into driving heaviness. Similarly, the band’s way with hypnotic repetition doesn’t preclude dynamic, experimental approaches bursting through.

Both bark and bite in full effect, then. Baring their canines suits them. Pull Like A Dog is The Scratch’s most confident, convincing work to date.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: Dropkick Murphys, Biffy Clyro, SOFT PLAY

Pull Like A Dog is released on March 13 via Music For Nations / Sony Music Ireland.