Hailing from London, England, French Dogs make a confident first impression with their debut album, "Here's to Pretending". Following on from their sensational 2025 EP, the band then released a couple of singles which teased the impending release, and the ten-track strong album is quite the find if you are into your indie rock belters.
... French Dogs deliver a cinematic indie rock debut with "Here's to Pretending", blending jangly guitars, raw energy, and festival-ready anthems.
It is a very spirited release with music that is sure to get your hairs standing on end. The opening track, titled "Broken Glass", is one of those rip-roaring indie builders that you might end up stumbling upon at a live music festival. You'll be like a deer in the headlights with this one.
Amongst the singles that have been released, there are Tucker's "Having a Baby" and one of their older tracks, "Car Crash Lovers".Out of the new tracks that are brand spanking new for the album, you have "Here's to Pretending", which is a lovely jangly cut which reminds me of The Strokes in places, mixed with some more direct vocals that you would hear in tracks by Fontaines D.C. and Wunderhorse.
The album does go on a slightly alternative sound with the track "Love Don't Change Enough", as it sounds a bit more like those alt rock bands you'd hear in the mid-2010s, strong nonetheless.
Another standout for me is the track "Flicked from Brick Lane", with the rushing guitars reminding me of that Camden indie rock scene with the likes of The Libertines, very FIFA soundtrack type too! With a few more solid pre-released songs on the album, it finishes off on the song "Movie Scenes".
It is one of those final calls for a band. The closing of 33 minutes of work is a perfect sum up of what they're all about. We've got the laid-back first half and then the explosion of cinematic indie rock sounds in the final half, a cascading rush of guitars and reverb-laced vocals, giving me that massive reminder that this band are here and they're going to be big if they keep on doing what they're doing.
French Dogs' debut album, "Here's to Pretending", is an incredibly solid 8.5 out of 10.