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It's Probably Benign

by Dog Eared

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1.
Distractions 01:18
I hate my TV it’s broken and old There’s no remote so it won’t do as it’s told The speakers buzz when the volume’s past 10 The default brightness is darker than hell There’s a weird stripe at the top of the screen That nullifies tension in dramatic scenes Bojack could be about to kill himself And that stripe is all I would see I cannot live like this Who gets by with no TV? What else will stop me from wondering if tomorrow will be worse than today? My TV doesn’t distract me enough From constant fear of when push comes to shove My TV should make my mind dissipate But I don’t like it and now it’s too late
2.
I don’t want to waste your time so I’ll get to the point I'm a fucking mess and that's the opposite of what I want I've spent the last ten minutes shuffling my feet from side to side and nursing a can I finished long before I arrived You ask, “Do you know my name?” “We’re so glad you came”. I, for one, don't feel the same Do you know my name? small talk’s not my strongest suit, it's a lot smaller than most I've run out of things to say that won't be misconstrued as digs or boasts I can’t hear a word you’ve said I wish we’d stayed back at the pub I'm so embarrassed I want this sticky floor to open up You dance until you're sore, I watch on close to the door My dance has two moves I check my watch and scan the floor Irish goodbye is a dream when you've got low self-esteem I’d walk you home 500 miles if it gets me out of this grim scene You ask, “Do you know my name?” “We’re so glad you came”. I, for one, don't feel the same Do you know my name?
3.
Hygiene 02:43 video
The bitter winter cold has really taken hold I'm finding holes in all the clothes I wear Not that it bothers me, my clothes are pretty cheap It's a good reminder of how little I care The sheer consistency of blissful apathy Has left my bedroom in a state of shock No time for bothering, no time for anything The greatest challenge I might face is finding clean socks Any chance of self-respect has died with any intellect I had before I moved here, now my hygiene's shite Instead of planning fake routines I should fuck off to bed And just accept that I'm a worthless waste of space because my hygiene's shite Living in my own dirt has left me too alert There's nothing comes within two feet of me By building walls between myself and living clean I've managed to regress to the age of three Responsibility's no more a possibility I'd leave a task worse off than when I came Sometimes try sleeping through the night and all the daytime too But it's no substitute, it's not the same Any chance of self-respect has died with any intellect I had before I moved here, now my hygiene's shite Instead of planning fake routines I should fuck off to bed And just accept that I'm a worthless waste of space because my hygiene's shite
4.
Rough 03:10 video
Another time, another place Another day of feeling well off the pace My rising pile of jobs to file Has wiped the wary smile right off my fucking face Just when I thought I had things sorted I find it's not the case In fact, I'm far from sorted I'm back to square one and staring into space I know it's rough I know it makes me sick I know it strains me to the point of urgency And I hope it's gone By the time I turn thirty But cold, hard reality makes clear that's not to be Love your work Be content So all your time is well spent Do your job Pay the rent I'd say it's quite self-evident How every time I think I'm sorted I find it's not the case Because when the job you love drains all of your energy Your brain feels like cement I know it's rough I know it makes me sick I know it strains me to the point of urgency And I hope it's gone By the time I turn thirty But cold, hard reality makes clear that's not to be And everything I do Has got me crawling back to you Because everything that I ever was That I am and ever will be push me on because...
5.
It’s like a splinter in my foot and it’s digging in with every step I take in the right direction What’s the point of moving on when it’s one step forward and two steps back Maybe it’s not supposed to work like this Maybe these two lifestyles cannot co-exist Now the more I cling the more it hurts as it digs its way right through my bones but Now it’s all I’ve got when the shift work ends It’s not like I can visit my friends I’m always late while they work hard in real-life days Not that they’d want to see me anyway And I know it’s me not you Any friends I make get bored a lot quicker than they used to But I’m not changing any faster New year, new me, new and improved recipe for disaster It’s not a splinter now it’s a gunshot and I’m pointing the barrel straight into my skull For some reason, I’m so eager to show people how funny I’m not And I’m not good, and I’m not right, and I dread the morning every single night I used to sleep in because it felt great Now I sleep in just to make sure that I spend less time awake And thinking about all the things I hate And contemplating never being late again by default by not being there at all
6.
Floodgates 02:42
I don’t know what I was thinking I don’t know what you’d been drinking You were sending cryptic texts when I took the last train home I spent that whole journey sweating Remembering what I was forgetting But my memory went blank and anxiety levelled up And I hoped it was a one-time thing But, weeks later, your lips were still drawn thin. So I called you to find out what was wrong And it was then that I saw that, to you, I was a chore Between my family and you it was a game for keeping score Well not any more Had to make a quick decision Gave my parents the wrong impression Waited for you to arrive whilst trying to control my breath Got in the car with your sister Another journey like a slow-burn blister Agonising on my own in the back seat Scratching so I didn’t obsess You talked like nothing was amiss No signs you cared or knew I felt like shit I thought you cared as much as I did And then my anger surpassed all feelings I had Asking myself again, counting slowly down from ten Did you value or know I was feeling so low? I don’t think so Then we talked in your room for an hour or so You made your points more clearly than before My anger subsided and the fear came flooding back I told you how I felt and the walls began to crack Then I cried for the first time in almost seven years No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t hold back the tears For half an hour at least
7.
Phone Call 03:38
Was on my sofa lighting matches to pass the time Threw them in the sink to watch them burn and die Took a breath, slapped my thighs and got up off my chair Then sat back down remembering I had nowhere to go And nowhere to be Being unemployed then didn’t bother me In my head it narrowed down the possibility of my fucking up another part of life So I called my Mum in my mother-tongue Got halfway through a sentence and forgot the word for happiness Just one of the many things I felt slipping away I hung up the phone Decided I needed some more time alone Like all the other hours in the day That’s the closest I have been To breaking off my teetotal tendencies That I’ve stuck to for so long because I’m so sensible and so scared of what I would become Am I angry? Am I loyal? Am I violent? Am I joyful? Am I happy? I don’t know, maybe I should start srinking after all Would it help me to forget I don’t belong where I once thought I’d found a place I knew and loved The fact is, I will never be enough I have learned from my mistakes but there’s only so many that I can make If I wrote them all down, I’d have a PHD because my contributions in the field are quite unique So now I browse the web and some TV shows Desperately searching for a laugh that’s so intense it hurts in your abdomen Because it’s so rare that you feel like that these days And when that search fails, I retreat to bed to get my solid 5 hours of nothing more than cold sweats and freezing feet At least the temperature is familiar along with dreich grey rain for half the year I miss the blinding sun and the scene but I’m glad I’m here In my basement with a garden that I wouldn’t hang a rag in, it’s a pity, you can see why people hate to love this city So before that thought comes crashing into my 5 hours of nothing, I’ll return to contemplating if a drink would clear my mind
8.
In my room, beside my bed, there's a full-length IKEA mirror And every day when I wake up I make sure to avoid it like the plague As the days turn into weeks into months and years from my past In a time when I saw a little less self-loathing in that looking glass I don't like who I was I don't like who I am What excuse will it be? Money, time or motivation? Any way I put it off, I'll always end up angry with myself I'm aware, far too aware, my proportions are all shifting But even so, I always know, my commitments won't keep up with my health
9.
Minted 03:00
In my daydreams I’ve got more money than sense My few problems are all discussed in past tense But I’m not in that show Not even a cameo I don’t know which way to go Wasted hours on made up worlds, made up lives Keep me useless and keep me up through the night There’s no scenario that’s all smiles and rainbows I don’t know which way to go When student debts are in tow there’s a time-resistant lump in my throat And even if I let go, other debts will serve as heavy burden cargo In my head I feel safe In the world I need savings Eat food and get fat Or eat less and afford a flat There’s no scenario that’s all smiles and rainbows I don’t know which way to go
10.
I feel terrible through no fault of my own Though that’s not strictly true; it’s actually 100% my fault Just like usual. Just like it always is. Be it lack of sleep or drink, or self-control. I feel miserable, though miserable’s too strong a word for my circumstance I’m just a boy who’s a little bit sad sometimes Like everyone who’s ever lived and had to work 5 days Who’s trained themselves to smother down anxiety and rage But that’s besides the point for now I’m doing my best to put the smothered voices out for ears of those I barely know And maybe telling those who know me as I am would be a step towards emotional growth But that sounds like a lot of work I feel calm today; things are as they should be But here come mortgage debts and job insecurity and eviction notices And sleepless nights and comfort eating and a back that can’t keep up are rusty chains and buckled wheels and broken glass enough To keep me pinned down to the floor? No tapping out, just pure acceptance of the state my mind keeps forcing itself in Two little voices in my head. One is my own. The other talks on my behalf So I don’t talk much anymore.
11.
On my way to work along the filthy green canal I saw a double rainbow: God’s vain attempt to boost morale As if refracted light would make my day less shite I need more than a white bird with a stick to convince me that I’m doing alright But I recognise the gesture from the big man up above Isn’t saved for those who can already exercise self-love Who am I to judge fanatics and admirers of the arc Or the kids who stare in innocent amazement from the park? My day turned out fine I guess I should be glad But my brain has other plans and my cynicism makes me sad I apologise for every time I stain cheery discourse I’m still working on my downer habits pointing out small flaws If I’m being a dick and need to be taken down a peg I’m quite happy for you to tell me straight Slap my face Talk me round or slam the door
12.
Sisyphus 03:37
Now thinking back, I’m feeling sick Because uncertainty is worse than realistic truth It’s not fun living with guilt for things you’re not even sure you did or will do When your account’s four digits deep I think it’s clear as night and day why sleep escapes me still And the account is in my name Because it’s mine, and it’s my fault, and that thought makes me ill I’m like Sisyphus on the hill And I can feel it going I feel I’m out of my mind Why should I keep it running? I feel I’m running out of time All I can think about is Thinking of how to make it end How best to bend the truth without it driving me around the bend It’s 3AM, you’re fast asleep But my descent into unease is already too steep Is this the week to pay the rent? Did the bills come out? If so, I’m spent I’m still four digits deep I wonder what the future brings? I hope it’s not another day where I can’t move my limbs Without the pain shooting up my back In frequent spasms like one hundred systematic bee stings I blame my twenty-year-old mattress springs
13.
Wendigo 03:57
There’s a burning in the leaves Making torches out of trees Like the ones I hold and lead me to the places I’ll never go But I’ll settle where I am I’m sat down on that riverbank Come sit a while and share our arms until the first of the snows It won’t be long until everything is gone I hope and pray for the ‘fade away’ Nights are darker than before Blown out windows, boarded doors There’s a house up in the back woods that they used to call a home Black foot on whiter ground A crippling, screaming, silent sound In the distance between all you’ve been and all you’ve ever known If I could make this last a little longer By spending all night on the corner I’d grit and freeze, I’d face down the winter What’s the point of being warm if you were never burned alive?
14.
I can't leave my flat so I've got to think of other things to do So I revert to my 8-year-old self and play RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 Flouting safety codes and drowning customers who disapprove Keeping up appearances by cleaning up when someone pukes But soon my profits hit an all time low And I'm struggling to stay afloat Almost as much as Michael who didn't like my custom-built log flume Playing RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 (Michael's a dick, he only went on 3 rides)
15.
My place of work is only 5 miles away But still it takes be half an hour every day And that's not including time it takes to get changed Out of sopping clothes from cycling through heat or through rain My bike got nicked 2 months into the job so now I ride my girlfriend's bike and it's pretty small Getting to work is downhill for the most part But getting back's a nightmare when your wheel-size is halved Freddie Mercury said "I love to ride my bike" I bet he never took the tunnel that goes under the Clyde If I were rich, I'd take the bus all the time But while I’m in this situation I'll get out there and ride
16.
I don’t think that I should go outside Because Atlantic winds would cut me open wide And my chapped, bare hands won’t hold their own And the winter blues are overgrown I’m a man of late nights and late cards Not of broken homes or tearing friends apart But the back and forth in sleep routines Makes me someone I don’t want to be I need to exercise restraint Not dwell on every petulant complaint And you wont remind me that I’m not my dad I kind of wish you never had I don’t think that I should go to sleep I don’t think about the company I keep It’s a wasted horizontal void That I could be spending with screens and toys Drop the laissez-faire pretence Try reading, try taking in some common sense You would assume I want to stay inside That mother nature’s not my type But if you take the time to take into account the pros and cons You’ll notice I’m not there for very long And indecision is a bore I don’t think that I should go outside tonight alone I like it here at home
17.
I’ve been sitting here waiting for the right moment to come along And I’ve been wanting to call you, but the words would come out wrong I’ve been thinking for some time that a cry for help would do me some good But I just sit on my hands and keep my mouth glued tightly shut Can you read my mind? The only situation that involves no compromise is that someone somewhere close to me can read my mind to push past my inability to open up and share If my girlfriend still can’t tell whether I’m joking or I’m scared, I doubt the silent treatment will help me to repair my chronic lack of self-belief that’s leading me nowhere and leaves me unprepared I don’t think I’ll be ready when the moment comes; I’m all choked up Or maybe there is no moment. Maybe it’s passed. I should’ve spoken up I can’t help but think I’m balanced on the brink of swimming down to sink I’ve been sitting here waiting and the right moment has come and gone I talked a lot and said nothing, didn’t mention what was wrong Who knows? Maybe next time I’ll talk so much I’ll let it slip out Or more likely I’ll be silently hoping you can read my mind Doubting you can read my mind Hoping you can read my mind
18.
I pissed my pants, I shat the bed and no-one fucking cares I’m stiff and sore from head to foot, can’t breathe the stinking air Every clock tick hits my ears like a hammer to the skull The extractor fan keeps wailing until all my senses dull I’m in a vegetative state But I feel fine I’m quite content here on my own, the boredom’s fucked my speech And if it gets excessive, I’ll just down a pint of bleach Doesn’t matter when I die, just matters if I leave a mess Because isolation killed off all emotions I’d repress

about

The debut album from Scottish pop-punk trio Dog Eared is here! Featuring the singles 'Hygiene' and 'Rough', this album is 18 tracks of pop punk gold!

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released February 2, 2024

All songs and lyrics written by Dog Eared
Recorded and Mixed by Greig Hawke
Mastered by Matt Beresford
Impeccable backing vocals on 'RollerCoaster Tycoon 2' provided by the inimitable Jim Russell
Artwork by Catface Designs
First physical release on Bite These Records

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Dog Eared Dundee, UK

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