Dog Party - The Young Years Collection (2009-2013)

The Northern California duo Dog Party formed in 2005 when the Giles sisters had their first practice, during which they wrote their first song. Guitarist Gwendolyn was nine years old, and drummer Lucy was six. Ever since that day, the sisters kept writing songs, practicing and playing the occasional show as they juggled music with school and growing up. They released their first record, a seven-song self-titled EP in January of 2009, then followed it two years later with the similarly self-released P.A.R.T.Y. As the duo got more well-known and more musically accomplished, they began to play more shows, including a tour of Europe. Their music caught the ear of the legendary NoCal punk label Asian Man and they signed the duo up and released their second album, Lost Control, in summer of 2013. Tons of harmonies, great melodies, and solid playing make these teen sisters sound like they've been touring for years. Their next album, "Vol. 4" will be released on June 16, 2015 through Asian Man Records.

With a single guitar riff intro, Sacramento based sisters Gwen and Lucy Giles come out of the gates with a CD that both delights in their minimal guitar and drums approach and squeezes a ton of charm out of their garage attack. This is not the bash em' up attack of the Black Keys, but more of the charm of the early ‘90s girl rock transported magically into 2010s.

What keeps music fresh? What makes music good? Energy? Emotion? Originality? Melody? Spontaneity?
Well, lucky for us, a little band from Sacramento has wrapped all those things into a rockin' little package for us to enjoy!
P.A.R.T.Y. is the second release, and first full-length recording by Dog Party. And P.A.R.T.Y. is what you can't help but do when you hear this record! Dance fueled energy, catchy hooks, and clever lyrics that make balloons, cake and party games seem almost boring! Every minute is a party when P.A.R.T.Y. is playing… dare you not to tap your feet, challenge you not to sing along on the second listen, and will be in awe if you are NOT in the mood to P.A.R.T.Y. along with Dog Party and their amazing, positive brand of rock!

The Giles sisters have been making peppy pop-punk music together as Dog Party since they were little kids. Now guitarist Gwendolyn is 17 and drummer Lucy is 14 and their music has taken a nice leap from enthusiastic and fun to something a little louder, a little tighter, and a lot more exciting. The duo's third album, Lost Control, is their first for a bigger label, Asian Man, and it's produced by Sacramento punk mainstay Chris Woodhouse. He helps give the girls a bigger, more impressively noisy sound, but the real improvement comes from the sisters themselves. They've upped the songwriting stakes, added some muscle to their playing, and their voices sound more mature and powerful. This jump in quality makes Lost Control a short and snappy pop treat that will have fans of classic girl pop bands like Cub and Tiger Trap, and the Lookout Records golden era feeling nostalgic. Sneak "Jet Pack" onto a March Records comp from 1998 and it would totally fit. The album will make fans of short snappy punk happy too. Along with the sugar-sweet melodies and teen-crush lyrics, there is plenty of snarl and spit involved. From the gnarly crunch of the guitars to the sneer Gwendolyn gives the songs about dumb boys and crappy romance to Lucy's steady backbeat, the duo generates plenty of punk energy. The ferocious cover of X's "Los Angeles" establishes their real punk credentials right away. Worries about cred seem kind of pointless when the album is so much fun from start to finish. Dog Party may be music biz vets already, but this is their true coming-of-age moment and anyone interested in punky pop should seek out Lost Control right away and stay tuned to see what the Giles sisters do in the future.