PRESS

STORIES/INTERVIEWS:

View Magazine
[excerpt] “One of the best kept secrets in the current Halifax music scene is the melodic indie pop quartet Dog Day. Featuring Nancy Urich and Seth Smith from the Burdocks, a band well known in these parts thanks to last year’s excellent What We Do Is Secret album, along with Crystal Thili and Casey Spidle from The Hold (hardcore in the vein of Black Flag or Negative Approach), Dog Day is a name to watch out for in the months to come." -Sean Palmerston Full Story

The Gazette
[excerpt] Sure, there's nothing new in all this talk of meaninglessness and final solutions, but the best songs on the punk-infused indie rock band's 2005 album, Thank You (Out of Touch Records), make you feel like the world is ending again for the first time.-Sarah Feldman Full story

The Coast
[excerpt] “We all take music seriously and pretend that we are animals,” Smith explains from Quebec City, where the band has stopped on a tour taking them from Halifax to southern Ontario and back. “Instincts tend to control what comes out as art. If I start pretending then I lose touch with that primal source and then I become confused as to who I am.” Smith’s frail, sometimes sleepy, vocal style on Dog Day’s Thank You EP may make him sound a little removed from everyday reality. But this is not the case... -Sean Flinn Full story

Pop Matters
[excerpt] “....these songs have all the charm of those abused dogs that can't figure out quite what they want from you, growling and whimpering in the same breath, the ones that you can't get out of your head even after they've been banished to the neighbor's yard or the SPCA. You'd like to help, though not quite as much as you'd like them to leave you alone." -Sarah Feldman Full Story

The Gazette
[excerpt] If you haven't heard of Dog Day yet, it's about time to get out from under that rock you've been living under... Dog Day's Thank You EP, released in May, has been gaining gradual recognition accross Canada, and has definately won the hearts of fellow Haligonians. The feeling seems to be reciprocated -- the band is quick to show hometown pride. "Halifax is pretty and likes to show off her jewelry." says front man Smith. "Dog Day is an engagement ring that may fit Toronto's big fat middle finger or Montreal's hitch hikers thumb but sits quite nicely on Halifax's pinky to which it was fitted." This is a statement that fairly encapsulates Dog Day: quirky, ironic and a little bitter, but finding beauty and comfort in all of it anyway... -Saman Jafarian

Chart
[excerpt] The members of Halifax's Dog Day seem pretty stoked about how well things are going with the band and for good reason. Recent highlights include the release of their spectacular EP , production is already underway for their next album, the unveiling of their hilarious lo-fi video starring William Simmons and now they're heading off on the road to share the love...."Full story

Wavelengnth
[excerpt] Why does everyone keep talking about Dog Day as a “couples band”? Sure, it’s comprised of two couples, but to focus on that is to miss the point entirely. Dog Day, containing members of The Burdocks and The Hold, is making some excellent music. Yeah it’s from Halifax, and yeah it’s pop, but it’s not the expected “Halifax Pop”... -Shaunna Bednarek Full story

CD REVIEWS:

NOW Toronto- NNNN
Halifax indie band Dog Day are at least a bit reminiscent of some of the better-known Haligonian indie pop outfits. Not that they're derivative, but they combine folky nostalgia with a fuzzy lo-fi homemade intimacy in a way that can't help but evoke Eric's Trip or Sloan, even though you'd never confuse them. Though only a six-song EP, this is still a satisfying and comfortable listen and a sign of good things to come. -Benjamin Boles Review

The Coast - Pick of the week
[excerpt] ... Barely exceeding 20 minutes, Thank You leaves much to be desired but in a good way. While one’s musical thirst may not quite be quenched after a single listen, the pop gems are so well-penned and arranged that it easily elevates the level of anticipation for the next album... -Jon Bruhm Full reviewThe

Gazette - Pick of the week
[excerpt] In "Sharp Teeth," the penultimate track on Dog Day's first album, Thank You, Seth Smith sings, "I would do anything for love / Fuck off." It's as if his bitterness is not merely directed at one person, but at love in general --- clichés, hyperboles and all. This is as explicit as Smith gets. Smith's compositions, far from the bombastic odes to woe and nevermore that dominate the love song genre, deal in irony and understatement. His playfully irreverent voice reflects his lyrics in this sense... -Mark Little

Pulse
[excerpt] This Haligonian quartet’s EP sounds so circa '94 it’s unreal. Call them a throwback band, call them retro, just don’t call them a Burdocks rip-off band. .... Dog Day’s intelligent foot-tapping, head bobbing sound is so damn irrestilble I can’t wait for the full length follow-up. Call me a poseur if you want, whatever man, you don’t know me. -Jordy Yack. Full review

The Coast - Top 50 Albums of 2005
Pop-rock hasn't been this hot in years. Almost unbearably captivating, Thank You's 20 minutes contain a handful of addictively simple, straightforward gems. Completely lo-fi and unfortunately short, this debut by the half-Burdocks, half-Hold hybrid is, hands down, the best local album of the year. -Jon Bruhm Review

The Gazette - Best Albums of 2005
[excerpt] Quirky, ironic, poppy, and catchy as hell, Thank You has quickly elevated Dog Day to the status of possibly the Halifax band. Driving guitars and drums and a synthesizer paired with strong, yet delicate vocals result in a distinctive sound, while clever, witty lyrics grab your attention throughout. With a running time barely over 20 minutes, the album begs another listen immediately. -Saman Jafarian Full review

CONCERT REVIEWS:

Exclaim - Dalhousie University, Halifax NS, October 18 2005
The Halifax “it” band at first seemed a little tuneless, though the faster they played and the deeper into the set they ventured, the better they got — their last song was easily the best. Hilarious was keyboardist Crystal Thili, who was just too damn cool and bored, playing her bits with one hand while she took photos of her audience and band mates with the other. Bassist and vocalist Nancy Urich took over lead vocals on Dog Day’s excellent cover of Iggy & the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” More singing for Nancy! -CK Story

Chartattack - Dalhousie University, Halifax NS, October 18 2005Wednesday night saw the festival's first big concert, as Winnipeg's The Weakerthans brought their melodic nostalgia to town. While the headliners were their usual strong and solid selves, the evening belonged to local popsters Dog Day. The friendly quartet of punks and songsmiths surprised all with their catchy mid-tempo compositions and sweet-as-candy sound. Watch for this wonderful diamond-in-the-rough find to break out shortly. -Stephen Clare Review

Exclaim - Khyber Club, Halifax NS, October 14 2005
... weaving through standouts from their Thank You EP like "Use Your Powers'" "Sleeping On Couches" and "Zombie." Seeing a young band that is simultaneously reminiscent of a Halifax past yet fresh and primed for a full future at the historic Khyber club is a textbook Pop Explosion moment. -Iain K. MacLeod Full Review

The Gazette - Khyber Club, Halifax NS, October 14 2005
Shy, modest and clever, Dog Day's take on pop rock was a surefire bet for the Pop Explosion. Not a stranger to the Halifax indie rock scene (the band is one half the Burdocks, one half the Hold), Dog Day played an enthusiastically classy set, back-dropped by the warm red glow of the Khyber. Ranging from subliminal pop. -Trevor Murphy

The Lance - Phog Lounge, Windsor ON, October 7th, 2005
[excerpt] Reminiscent of Joy Division, with a hint of Death Cab for Cutie, the band infuses sharp songwriting with emotional melodies. Their record and live performance both showcases delightful rhythms laced with serene vocals. As their biography states, “This is pop.” Modestly asking, “does this sound okay?” after their first song, Dog Day sink back into the music, pausing only briefly between songs that aren’t met with any sort of introduction. Cramming a significant amount of music into a near 45 minute set, Dog Day is set on proving that “they have a record and are willing to travel with it...” - Melissa Ray Full review