Dublin’s The Scratch are back! And they are louder than ever with the news of their brand new album, ‘Pull Like A Dog’, set from release on 13th March 2026. Written in Hellfire Studio in Dublin with engineer Thomas Donoghue and producer John ‘Spud’ Murphy (Lankum, Black Midi, caroline), ‘Pull Like A Dog’ marks a brand new chapter for the band.
To mark the announcement, The Scratch have today released the albums title track, booting the record open like a pub door on a Friday night. Tossing aside the idea of trying to succeed in life by “colouring inside the lines,” as vocalist Daniel Lango puts it. “It’s about tossing aside the idea of apologising for merely existing or hoping that if I keep colouring inside the lines I’ll get what I think I deserve. Mocking myself a bit but also getting the blood going so I’ll grab life by the scruff and be loud about it”.
The video for ‘Pull Like A Dog’ comes to life on the shores of Lough Ree (Shannon, Ireland) and is a collaboration with the band and noted Dublin-based videographer Paul Gleeson.
When a video of the band playing at the Rory Gallagher International Festival in Ballyshannon went viral in 2017, it brought opportunities for The Scratch to become a much bigger project than they initially envisaged. Signed to Sony Music Ireland, The Scratch’s second album Mind Yourself (2023) debuted at #1 on the Irish Vinyl Charts, #3 on the IRMA Weekly Album Chart, was nominated for Irish Album of the Year at The Choice Music Prize, plus an appearance on Ireland’s #1 TV show The Late Late Show. Additionally, the band has garnered support from the likes of BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 6, plus most recently, their music featured in Netflix’s brand-new drama series House of Guinness, from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.
Now, with the recent addition of Gary “Gaz” Regan (guitar/backing vocals) rounding out the line-up alongside Lango (cajón, percussion, lead vocals), Conor (guitar, backing vocals), and Cathal McKenna (bass/backing vocals), The Scratch’s third album is a refinement of the acoustic/electric, trad/metal fusion they laid out on Mind Yourself. “As a band, this feels like a new beginning,” says Conor (guitar, backing vocals). “I think the changes we’ve faced have given us a lot of room to grow, maybe into roles we felt were off limits before. Openness, perseverance, and positivity – this album embodies all of that.”
The Scratch are returning to the UK in April next year with tickets on sale from Friday 14th November.
Pre-order the new album now for early access on 12th November
| Tour Dates 8th Nov, Iceland Airwaves, Reykjavík, Iceland 11th Nov, EXIL, Zürich, Switzerland 12th Nov, Feierwerk (Kranhalle), München, Germany 16th Nov, Badehaus Berlin, Berlin, Germany 17th Nov, Pumpehuset, Copenhagen, Denmark 22nd Nov, Les Étoiles, Paris, France 2026 Tour Dates 23rd April, SWG3, Glasgow, UK 24th April, The Key Club, Leeds, UK 25th April, Club Academy, Manchester, UK 28th April, Hare and Hounds, Birmingham, UK 29th April, Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, UK 30th April, Islington Assembly Hall, London, UK |
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