Demo 1 [Red] Vinyl

Begging Dog is the indie punk project of Los Angeles-based artist Jeff Kleinman. An outlet for his work outside of the band Choir Boy, Begging Dog finds Kleinman embracing a raw, homespun sound with nods to garage punk and plain language lyricism. DEMO 1 is 26 minutes packed with rolling bass and synth lines, charismatic riffs, and motorik drum beats. Lyrically, the songs feature a range of lived-in observations, scenes, and characters: a pushy union rep; a mailman with a steady federal job; a compulsive gambler; a beloved neighborhood homeless man. Ex-loves become collaged together, haunting several tracks, out of context, with blunt, sharp-witted free verse. Kleinman cites Bruce Springsteen as an inspiration in how his songs are penned with plain ink, opting for direct simplicity over flowery prose. He taps into a shared loneliness, both universal and perhaps especially unique to living in Los Angeles, with no-frills nuance and vulnerability. On the title track, Kleinman sings, "no one loves a begging dog," in a line borrowed from a friend that embodies the project's point of view: the world can make you feel like a begging dog in search of affection and security, but there is beauty in solitude and the buzzing monotony of it all. The synth-laced "Laughing Boy" contemplates the meaning of life, decrying high rent while noting the scent of jasmine trees in the same breath as the jarring police presence. On "Common Place", surrounded by urgent drum machine kicks and distortion, he sings about feeling truly alive at a 7-Eleven downtown, then darts between a tragedy he witnessed at a park and fond memories of living communally in Salt Lake City, before declaring his new mantra: "It's over." The contrasts here are what make these songs human. Kleinman quickly recorded DEMO 1 without much more than himself. Live, Begging Dog's dynamic material translates to a seven-piece band. "No matter how good or not good you have it, you're kind of like looking for something more," says Kleinman, stopping short of trying to find some larger meaning in his work. "When I'm writing about these things, I don't try to make them more important than what they are." DEMO 1 benefits from this straightforward, everyman humility, crossing candor with grit and hooks.