Premiere: No Frills Wants Out of the Dog House in New Track “I Don’t Wanna Be Your Dog Anymore”
“THERAPISTS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE. BUT WRITING SONGS IS FREE” writes Toronto-based indie band No Frills about their self-aware, moody lyrics that capture their bleak yet humorous voice. The name of their debut album, Downward Dog, (out April 1st) is a double-entendre of sorts, coming from frontman Daniel Busheikin’s negative self-image and the yoga pose he does every morning. The album came together in a scrappy, patchwork type of way: Busheikin used his free time of the Toronto lockdown to write demos, then had friends from the local indie music scene (from the bands Hooded Fang, Twist, Rapport and Grounders) come in to add feedback and record tracks. The album was recorded in both Busheikin’s basement and a garage-turned-studio, adding to the friendly, relaxed, bedroom-pop vibe of the LP.
Their latest single “I Don’t Wanna Be Your Dog Anymore” writes from a dog’s perspective on wanting to quit the role of the house pet. It’s a silly and fascinating take on not wanting to be tied-down or controlled. Encapsulating the dually gloomy and sardonic feel of the record, the track makes you laugh and feel sad for the dog at the same time. The track is full of layered rhythm guitars, pitch-shifting techniques and a whammy guitar solo, creating a sound similar to 90s college indie rock. And, since this is an aptly described “pandemic record,” the vocals were recorded while wearing a KN95 mask, creating a muted effect and adding to the quirkiness of the track. The repetition of the titular phrase “I don’t wanna be your dog anymore” is an unexpected anthem of freedom – from what, exactly? One can’t be sure.
Either an emotional metaphor, an outcome of lockdown, or just a song about a fed-up dog, No Frills shows that they’re not constricted by any boundaries in their music. Check out our premiere of the track below and read on to hear more about the making of “I Dont’ Want To Be Your Dog Anymore”, the upcoming album and more.
LUNA: How has the new year been treating y'all?
BUSHEIKIN: Oh, fine. I get very reflective about time-related things, and I like the feeling of ending one chapter and starting a new one. It's a good time to reorganize the bathroom.
LUNA: Congrats on the release of "I Don't Want To Be Your Dog Anymore"! I love the instrumentals in this one, has a really nice flow to it. Can you share a favorite moment from the making of this track?
BUSHEIKIN:Thanks! The rhythm guitar is really calming to play. It's the same pattern over and over, and I played it many times with different guitars, different effects, different mic positions. There's something about the timing of it that feels so good and natural so I would get into a kind of trance. A sad trance though. Those chords feel sad to me, I guess.
Also, there were some fun recording "techniques" involved here, like the intro/bridge/outro part which I think was made with layered iPhone recordings with pitch shifting effects on them. I really like how the pitch effects struggle at the end of the song and glitch out a bit.
LUNA: Which set of lyrics from the track are your favorite?
BUSHEIKIN: I think "you just make me lay down on the floor" in the chorus is fun. Making a person lay down on the floor is a simple and degrading demand, but also kind of a funny image? And making a dog lay down on the floor is fun and harmless, but it's presented as an offense here. The idea of a dog singing about not wanting to be your dog anymore in inherently funny (prove me wrong!) but I feel sad for the dog and I hope you do too.
LUNA: How does this single compare to the feel of the rest of the upcoming album?
BUSHEIKIN: I think this song has a kind of 90s college indie rock vibe, which I don't think the other songs have. I think it is the only one with a straight up guitar solo! It also might be the most polished sounding song – the rest are a bit jankier or low fidelity.
LUNA: Sonically, what was your favorite element to explore with this new music?
BUSHEIKIN:Well, I don't know if exploration is what I would say. I'm too self-doubting and defeatist to get into ‘explore’ mode, so I try to move quickly, set arbitrary limitations, commit to decisions while recording, and do things that are fun or funny. Most of the vocals are recorded while wearing a KN95 mask into a handheld mic with a toilet paper tube on it, because it sounded warm and soft and also as a little inside joke for myself, given that it was a pandemic record. I am stoked on a lot of the sounds and styles in the end, especially the synth tones, but I tried not to think too much when dialing that in.
LUNA: When it comes to lyrics, a lot of your music serves almost like a therapy session - which is a great way to get your thoughts and emotions out. Once you've poured your heart out, how do you decide which tracks stay unreleased for yourself and which gets fine tuned and released?
BUSHEIKIN: Those kinds of decisions would be heavily influenced by the opinions of my band and people whose taste I respect. I try to avoid judging our music as much as possible. Other people will do the judging. When I'm judging myself I usually just feel shitty about my work and subsequently feel shitty about my entire self worth and contribution to the world, so it's best just to keep it moving along.
LUNA: What colors do you associate with your music?
BUSHEIKIN: The upbeat songs are like a bright orange, which is the color of the dog on our record cover. The mopey ones are like a blue-purple. What's that called? Is that indigo?? Dusty concord grape.
LUNA: As we enter another round of quarantine thanks to COVID, what practices or hobbies have kept you sane the past 2 or so years?
BUSHEIKIN: Lately I've been walking on a treadmill while playing guitar, coming up with song ideas, noodling away. It’s ridiculous but really nice. I've made a few music videos for our songs, one with all stock footage and one with a puppet turtle. Those were fun to work on. But overall I actually enjoy the hermit life and would be happy to never be at a bar ever again.
LUNA: What do you want listeners to know about new music?
BUSHEIKIN: About No Frills' new music? Well, we have our first full-length record coming out on April 1st and it's called Downward Dog, which is referencing the songs "Down for the Count" and "I Don't Wanna Be Your Dog Anymore," both of which allude to my general melancholic disposition and negative self-image. Also, it's a yoga position (which is a thing I do in my daily routine) where you can have a nice lil fart with your bum in the air. Anyways – I think it’s a fun record with a sense of humor but a lot of sincerity and vulnerability. It’s hard to say much more without dragging you down into a hellish bog of artist statements. And it would be more interesting for us to learn about what other people (ie. whoever is reading this) think. Send us a message!
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