Dr. C & the Gris Gris offer up their own take on Southern Rock or Swamp Rock with a sound that comes through as passionate, stylish, and skillful. Not only this, their songwriting adds immensely to the overall effect.
Graveyard Dog is a powerful piece of music, the build up from the verses surrounds you in a mellow yet carefully thought out mood and sentiment. Cool riffs and a smooth, strong leading voice drive the energy of the music. Later on, the hook has impact in a simple yet effective way – though its attack is largely due to the clever set-up of those verses. The way each line leads to a shorter hook of its own lines up the later sections brilliantly, offering listeners a touch of what’s to come; building that familiarity in a subtle, clever way. Then when you finally hear it, it makes sense, it satisfies, it connects. This sort of writing makes a brand new chorus feel like a favourite hit from times gone by. It works really well.
As a band, Dr. C & the Gris Gris have been making waves in the live scene for their chemistry and energy on stage. This particular song is a fairly heavy yet smooth release, which, for me, gives it both emotion and intensity in the style of the more mellow offerings from rock or alternative indie bands across the last couple of decades. There’s a delicacy to it, but also a thickness – the leading voice has an addictive quality, and the instrumentation too presents something fresh and characterful. Of course, if you’re not lucky enough to catch them at a live show, then the songwriting is the key to getting you involved. Graveyard Dog is a great song, the sort you’d easily and happily return to again and again when scrolling through those comforting playlists we all accumulate. A pleasure to discover.
Download the album Hexes With Axes via Bandcamp. Find & follow Dr. C & the Gris Gris on Facebook & Instagram.
