Song of the Day: “Pulling Teeth (Featuring Kevin Rheault)” by The Scratch
With the release of Pull Like A Dog on March 13, 2026, The Scratch have finally stopped flirting with the idea of being a “folk” band and have instead leaned fully into being a high-velocity, percussive riot. Recorded at Hellfire Studio with producer John “Spud” Murphy, the album marks a definitive shift from their busking roots toward a more “organized chaos” that blends trad-metal with a polished, almost industrial grit. It is a record that manages to be simultaneously feral and surgical, capturing the Dublin four-piece at a point where their acoustic-metal-folk experiment has stopped being a “project” and started being a legitimate threat to the peace.
The record serves as the band’s “final evolutionary form,” a phrase they’ve tossed around in recent interviews, and it’s hard to argue. By incorporating octave pedals, gravel-filled bags as percussion, and even smacking metal kegs, the band has expanded their sonic palette far beyond the acoustic guitars of Mind Yourself (which is also an amazing record). It’s a transition from simply playing fast to playing with a terrifying level of intentionality—capturing the raw, spit-and-sawdust energy of their live shows while using the studio as a laboratory powered by their “Gold Celtic Sauce.”
Part of the album’s brilliance lies in its pacing. After the initial assault of the singles, tracks like “Cracks” and the hauntingly beautiful “Ringsend” (featuring Susan O’Neill) provide the necessary oxygen. “Ringsend,” in particular, is a masterstroke; taking a poem by Oliver St. John Gogarty and turning it into a droning, atmospheric closer, it proves that The Scratch are just as dangerous when they’re whispering as when they’re shouting. Pull Like A Dog is a loud, unapologetic statement of intent. It’s the sound of a band that has stopped apologizing for “merely existing” and has decided to grab the industry by the scruff of the neck.
While the title track hits like a starting pistol, “Pulling Teeth” (featuring Kevin Rheault of Dropkick Murphys) is the undisputed standout. It is the absolute peak of the album’s “don’t overthink it, just hit it” philosophy. Written while the band was on tour in the U.S., the track possesses a transatlantic aggression that perfectly bridges the gap between Dublin trad and Boston punk. Rheault’s featured vocal towards the end of the song adds a sandpaper-rough intensity that forces Daniel Lang to push his own delivery into a near-feral register. And if you needed yet another reason to check out this track, it features arguably the best insult in modern Irish music: “You’re as flat as a snake’s bollocks!” It’s the kind of line that makes you want to laugh and hide at the same time.
The Song
Spotify:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/pull-like-a-dog/1840217898
The Album
Spotify:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/pull-like-a-dog/1840217898
The Band
Conor Dockery (guitar, backing vocals)
Cathal McKenna (bass, backing vocals)
Daniel Lang (cajón, percussion, lead vocals)
Gary Regan (guitar, backing vocals)
Be sure to check out the Audio Toxicity 2026 Bad Music Detox Protocol (AKA a playlist of songs covered so far…)