The Scratch Pull Like a Dog
Consensus is still forming across 3 professional reviews. The Scratch's Pull Like a Dog arrives as a full-throttle statement of intent, marrying Irish folk DNA with trad-metal and festival-ready punk energy. Critics agree the record's momentum centers on anthemic songwriting and live-bred aggression, and the consensus suggests the band has delivered something both visceral an
The opener “Pull Like a Dog” is the album’s standout, a firecracker mission statement that captures the band's live energy.
“Gladrags” is the album’s hardest-hitting standout because of its Rage Against The Machine-style riff and nasty energy.
Best for listeners looking for live energy and genre fusion, starting with Pull Like a Dog and Pullin' Teeth (feat. Kevin Rheault).
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Full consensus notes
The Scratch's Pull Like a Dog arrives as a full-throttle statement of intent, marrying Irish folk DNA with trad-metal and festival-ready punk energy. Critics agree the record's momentum centers on anthemic songwriting and live-bred aggression, and the consensus suggests the band has delivered something both visceral and purposeful.
Across three professional reviews that produced an 81.67/100 consensus score, reviewers consistently praise the title track “Pull Like a Dog” as the album's linchpin, noting fleet-fingered picking and a driving, poetic urgency that captures the collection's go-for-broke ethos. “Gladrags” emerges repeatedly as a standout for its nasty riffs and nu-metal flirtations, while crowd-ready cuts like “Roses n Poses” and the busking-born hooks of “Pullin' Teeth (feat. Kevin Rheault)” are highlighted for their singalong potential. Critics also single out “Ringsend (feat. Susan O'Neill)” for balancing reflection and experimentation, tying the record's more introspective moments to its outward fury.
The critical consensus frames Pull Like a Dog as a hybrid project: part festival conquest, part reflective mission statement. Reviewers note recurring themes of Irish identity, grief and reflection, and a willingness to push genre boundaries from folk and Celtic punk into trad-metal textures. While praise centers on the album's live energy and muscular ambition, critics also imply that the record's triumphs are most apparent in performance contexts, where its cathartic chaos and experimentation cohere. For readers searching for a verdict on whether Pull Like a Dog is worth attention, professional reviews point to strong songwriting, memorable hooks, and a band that sounds built for the stage—an album whose best songs already feel destined to dominate live sets.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Pull Like a Dog
3 mentions
"So red is the beggar’s hand / Up she flew / Hadn’t lost a feather... So pull like a dog / Always being told to go placidly among the noise"— Hot Press
Pullin' Teeth (feat. Kevin Rheault)
1 mention
"oh my god, the breakdown on this track is just hypnotising."— Still Listening Magazine
Gladrags
3 mentions
"the chunky grooves of Gladrags incorporate nu-metal stylings as effortlessly as the last Soft Play record"— Kerrang!
So red is the beggar’s hand / Up she flew / Hadn’t lost a feather... So pull like a dog / Always being told to go placidly among the noise
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Pull Like a Dog
Pullin' Teeth (feat. Kevin Rheault)
Gladrags
Cracks
Mother of God
Spacer
Roses n Poses
I Hope All is Forgiven
Horsefly
Ringsend (feat. Susan O'Neill)
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
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Critic's Take
The Scratch sound unfiltered and euphoric on Pull Like a Dog, and the best songs on Pull Like a Dog - particularly “Pull Like a Dog” and “Pullin' Teeth (feat. Kevin Rheault)” - show why this band is a live force to be reckoned with. Elsewhere “Gladrags” and “Ringsend (feat. Susan O'Neill)” balance reflection and experimentation, rounding out an album that feels like a mission statement for a band intent on chaos and catharsis. Read as a live manifesto, the record rewards repeat listens and will almost certainly translate into mayhem on stage.
Key Points
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The opener “Pull Like a Dog” is the album’s standout, a firecracker mission statement that captures the band's live energy.
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The album's core strengths are its fusion of metal and trad folk, relentless live-minded energy, and adventurous experimentation.
Themes
Ho
Critic's Take
The Scratch push themselves hard on Pull Like a Dog, and the best songs show that muscular ambition. The title track “Pull Like a Dog” feels poetic and driving, a neat encapsulation of the album's go-for-broke ethos. “Gladrags” is singled out for a nastily fitting riff that channels Rage Against The Machine energy, making it one of the best tracks on Pull Like a Dog.
Key Points
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“Gladrags” is the album’s hardest-hitting standout because of its Rage Against The Machine-style riff and nasty energy.
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The album balances gnarled trad-metal force with folk-tinged acoustic moments and introspective lyricism.
Themes
Critic's Take
The Scratch make a brazen bid for festival domination on Pull Like a Dog, and the reviewer's enthusiasm centers on the album's biggest hooks. The opening title track “Pull Like a Dog” is praised for its "fleet-fingered picking and weapons-grade riffing," which collapses the boundary between Irish trad and rock. The review singles out “Gladrags” for its chunky grooves and surprising nu-metal flirtations, and it names “Roses N Poses” as an addictive, busking-bred earworm likely to command crowds. Overall, these best tracks on Pull Like a Dog are presented as the album's primary strengths, built to seize stages and singalongs.
Key Points
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The title track is best for its fusion of Irish trad picking and heavy rock riffing, making it the album's centerpiece.
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The album's core strengths are its blend of folk and metal influences, busking-honed hooks, and festival-ready energy.