| Dogs Eating Dogs | ||||
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | December 18, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | November 2012 | |||
| Studio | Neverpants Ranch (San Diego, California) Opra Music Studios (Los Angeles, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 19:00 | |||
| Label | Self-released | |||
| Producer |
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| Blink-182 chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Dogs Eating Dogs | ||||
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Dogs Eating Dogs is anEP by American rock bandblink-182, released on December 18, 2012 independently. Self-produced by the group, it was the sole recording that the band self-released after their departure fromInterscope/DGC in October 2012,[2][3] as well as their last studio recording withTom DeLonge until 2022.
To celebrate the 182nd day of 2020 (June 30), the EP was pressed on vinyl as a limited edition.[4]
AfterNeighborhoods, the band felt the recording methods used were inadequate.Tom DeLonge, who originally advocated the method of using separate studios/e-mails to dictate the majority of the recording, admitted that it led to a loss of unity.[5]Travis Barker noted that, "there's some songs on there that I love, but for the most part it was disconnected. It was like, 'You do this part in your studio, and then you're gonna play on it and send it back to me.' When we're not in the studio together, you don't have the opportunity to gel off each other." In addition, Barker was still recovering from hisplane crash in 2008; he stated he was a "bloody mess" at the time.[6] During the band's20th Anniversary Tour in Europe, Barker was the first to approach DeLonge and Hoppus with the idea of immediately returning to the studio in the fall. "It was like three days after Halloween and Tom was like, 'Dude, we should do that!'" They entered the studio on November 5. They found a flexibility to do things their own way without label intervention and it inspired creativity and agility.Mark Hoppus described: "It was great, ideas falling everywhere. Lots of long hours spent on five new songs. [...] The band is in a great place creatively. Having everyone in the same room at the same time makes all the difference for us."[7]
The EP's opening track, "When I Was Young", revisits childhood from an adult viewpoint.Spin described the track as "cynical but sentimental", comparing the openingpipe organ toArcade Fire.[9] The title track is led by Hoppus and has been compared to Hoppus and Barker's previous side project,+44, and the bandAlkaline Trio.Alternative Press referred to it as the "angriest, most aggressive song" on the EP.[10] "Disaster" opens with "manipulated radio frequencies and anthemic marching drum hits" that recalls DeLonge's bandAngels & Airwaves.[10] "Boxing Day", originally titled "The Day After Christmas", began as an acousticfolk number before Barker added an electronic drum kit, creating what Hoppus described as a "real kind of indie, strange, cool vibe to it."[8] A week prior to the EP's release, the song "Boxing Day" wasstreamed throughAlternative Press.[1] The fifth and final track, "Pretty Little Girl", was originally titled "I Got My Eye on You" and was written by DeLonge for his wife.[8] It features a guest appearance from rapperYelawolf. The track carries anew wave influence and synthesizers are most prominent in the mix.[10]
Gregory Heaney ofAllMusic said that the EP, likeNeighborhoods, explores "a more expansiveprog-punk sound", similar to Hoppus and Barker's aforementioned side project +44.[11]
Dogs Eating Dogs debuted on theBillboard 200 at number 23 during the week of January 5, 2013,[12] with first-week sales of 57,000 copies.[13]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 68/100[14] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AbsolutePunk | 7/10[15] |
| Allmusic |   [16] |
| Alternative Press | [10] |
| Kerrang! | [17] |
Dogs Eating Dogs received generally positive reviews from music critics. Scott Heisel ofAlternative Press gave it a pre-release review of high acclaim saying it is "just as strong if not stronger than anything onNeighborhoods."[10] Keagan Ilvonen ofAbsolutePunk stated that the EP is "a refreshing but yet an exciting point in their career. They aren’t afraid to experiment and fail, while still continuing on with the legacy they've created. While the EP isn't the best material of the band's career, it shows a promising future that looked ever so bleak just a mere three years ago. If the band continues on this path, they are sure to please not only their fans, but also themselves as they age".[15]Allmusic writer Gregory Heaney said the EP "will surprise anyone who might have tuned out after 'All the Small Things' dominated the airwaves, but given the newfound maturity in their sound, the change is one that's both expected and welcomed."[16]Kerrang! writer Paul Travers said "the overall effect is one of a versatile, diffuse, but somehow far more focused collection of songs than were present onNeighborhoods. Added with those elements of their classic sound and what we have here is a stopgap EP that promises even greater things ahead for blink-182."[17] Chris Payne ofBillboard referred to the EP as "underrated."[18]
Retrospective reviews remain positive. In 2023, on the eve of the release of the band's ninth albumOne More Time..., Yang-Yi Goh ofGQ devoted an article to praising the EP, which he felt "easily ranks as the most overlooked and underrated entry in the band’s discography [...]Dogs Eating Dogs painted an exhilarating new way forward for Blink—and then the band fell apart a couple years later and it never fully came to fruition."[19]
All tracks are written byMark Hoppus,Tom DeLonge, andTravis Barker, except "Pretty Little Girl" written by Hoppus, DeLonge, Barker, andMichael Atha.
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "When I Was Young" | DeLonge | 3:28 |
| 2. | "Dogs Eating Dogs" | Hoppus/DeLonge | 3:30 |
| 3. | "Disaster" | DeLonge/Hoppus | 3:42 |
| 4. | "Boxing Day" | DeLonge/Hoppus | 3:58 |
| 5. | "Pretty Little Girl" (featuringYelawolf) | DeLonge/Yelawolf | 4:20 |
| Total length: | 19:00 | ||
Credits adapted fromApple Music.[20]
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[21] | 21 |
| USBillboard 200[12] | 23 |
| USTop Alternative Albums (Billboard)[22] | 2 |
| USTop Rock Albums (Billboard)[23] | 5 |
| USDigital Albums (Billboard)[24] | 3 |
Like their previous effort, the album finds the band exploring a more expansive prog-punk sound that feels reminiscent of Hoppus and Barker's side project, +44.
