She Doesn't Get It When Nate Ruess, the lead singer of The Format, nearly began his band’s second studio album called Dog Problems with the vulnerable lyrics of “Can we take the next hour, and talk about me?” on the song “I’m Actual”, I had a feeling that I was in for an experience. How often does a band want you to lock in on a full-album experience by stating that you’re in for quite a bumpy ride of exploring the ugliest parts of a relationship ending. That experience that I felt when I first heard Dog Problems (early, due to the band releasing/leaking it themselves) was quite a thrilling ride of pop, rock, indie, and emo all put on blast with a journey through Nate’s heartbreak. The title itself comes from Nate’s experience with an ex-girlfriend where, “every single time we thought that maybe we were going to break up, we’d try to save the relationship by getting a dog,” and the record largely explores the different phases of going through these emotions of a breakup. Also going on at this time was the implosion of being shifted from the labels of Elektra Records to Atlantic Records, and being told that the completed product of Dog Problems needed a “hit single”. Thus the song “The Compromise” was added to the tail end of the LP, and Nate mentioned that the track, “wasn’t written because we were dropped, but in an attempt to get dropped from our label…we gave them something catchy—only it was about (our experiences with) them”. Nate Ruess and his longtime bandmate of Sam Means carved out a sweeping magnum opus on Dog Problems, and showcased that even the most unfortunate record label limbo couldn’t stop the power of this undeniable record.
After Dog Problems opens up with the somber slow-tempo of “Matches”, that helps with setting the tone of the eventual heartbreak that Nate delves into, “I’m Actual” gets the gears moving in the right direction before a blast of indie pop washes over the listener in the form of “Time Bomb.” Nate and Sam were really on a different level, creatively, on this record that shows no signs of slowing down at its ripe age of 20 years old. Quite the opposite. After a solo record from each of the two bandmates, their inevitable reunion took on a new life with the arrival of new music with this year’s Boycott Heaven. Dog Problems was one of the best records to come out of the mid 00’s, and certainly the defining moment of The Format.
”She Doesn’t Get It” is an undeniable single that should’ve been more massive to get the record into even more homes than it already did, gradually, over time as it highlights magic between Sam’s guitars and arrangements over Nate’s powerful vocal performance. “Pick Me Up” has no trouble getting the audience swept away into the world of Dog Problems before the title track launches the LP into the stratosphere with a blend of time signature and key changes, horns and crisp production from Steven McDonald. There really was nothing like hearing “Dog Problems” for the first time and having your jaw drop at the development that The Format had shown since Interventions + Lullabies. The cute music video of a hand going on a journey through various parts of the city surprisingly comes across as pretty charming and a great, low-budget idea that worked really well in the context of this record.
Other songs in the middle section of the album are undeniable pop gems like “Oceans” recalling the memorable lyrics of, “How I wish I was an ocean / Maybe then, I’d get to see you again,” and the sing-a-long atmosphere of “Dead End” was another missed opportunity for their previous record label to see the magic in Dog Problems as a whole. “Snails” showcased that The Format could write a simplified pop song, tell a vivid story, and have you singing along to every word before you even knew what hit you. “The Compromise” is the ultimate “fuck you” to their previous record label telling them that what almost every fan of The Format has come to realize about this wonderful record: it was already perfect. And yet, the catchy and brutal tongue in cheek lyrics work well in closing the door on The Format’s best work.
”Inches and Falling” had the catchy refrain of “I love love / I love being in love / I don’t care what it does to me,” and showed that Nate wasn’t ready for one stint of brutal betrayal and heartbreak in a relationship define his just for love and happiness. The sprawling closer of “If Work Permits” is still the best closing track in The Format’s short, but powerful, discography and proved that this band was capable of creating the most vivid of musical art artifacts. While Dog Problems is mostly about the phases of falling in and out of love, my passion for this record will never fade away.