Dogs Eating Dogs

Dogs Eating Dogs is an EP by American pop punk band Blink-182 released on December 18, 2012. Self-produced by the band and Chris Holmes, it is the first recording that was self-released after their departure from Interscope/DGC in October 2012, as well as their last recorded material with Tom DeLonge before his departure in January 2015.

Recording and production

After Neighborhoods, the band felt the recording methods used were inadequate. Tom DeLonge, who originally advocated the method of using separate studios/e-mails to dictate the majority of the recording, admitted that it led to a loss of unity. Travis Barker noted that, "there's some songs on there that I love, but for the most part it was disconnected. It was like, 'You do this part in your studio, and then you're gonna play on it and send it back to me.' When we're not in the studio together, you don't have the opportunity to gel off each other." In addition, Barker was still recovering from his 2008 accident and was still healing. During the band's 20th Anniversary Tour in Europe, Barker was the first to approach DeLonge and Hoppus with the idea of immediately returning to the studio in the fall. "It was like three days after Halloween and Tom was like, 'Dude, we should do that!'" They entered the studio on November 5. They found a flexibility to do things their own way without label intervention and it inspired creativity and agility. Mark Hoppus described: "It was great, ideas falling everywhere. Lots of long hours spent on five new songs. [...] The band is in a great place creatively. Having everyone in the same room at the same time makes all the difference for us."

Composition

The EP's opening track, "When I Was Young", revisits childhood from an adult viewpoint. Spin described the track as "cynical but sentimental", comparing the opening pipe organ to Arcade Fire. The title track is led by Hoppus and has been compared to Hoppus and Barker's previous side project, +44, and the band Alkaline Trio. Alternative Press referred to it as the "angriest, most aggressive song" on the EP. "Disaster" opens with "manipulated radio frequencies and anthemic marching drum hits" that recalls DeLonge's band Angels & Airwaves. "Boxing Day", originally titled "The Day After Christmas", began as an acoustic folk number before Barker added an electronic drum kit, creating what Hoppus described as a "real kind of indie, strange, cool vibe to it." The fifth and final track, "Pretty Little Girl", was originally titled "I Got My Eye On You" and was written by DeLonge for his wife. It features a guest appearance from rapper Yelawolf. The track carries a new wave influence and synthesizers are most prominent in the mix.

Promotion, release, and reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	68/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AbsolutePunk	7/10
Allmusic
Alternative Press
Kerrang!

A week prior to the EP's release, the song "Boxing Day" was streamed through Alternative Press. Dogs Eating Dogs received generally positive reviews from music critics. Scott Heisel of Alternative Press gave it a pre-release review of high acclaim saying it is "just as strong if not stronger than anything on Neighborhoods." Keagan Ilvonen of AbsolutePunk stated that the EP is "a refreshing but yet an exciting point in their career. They aren’t afraid to experiment and fail, while still continuing on with the legacy they've created. While the EP isn't the best material of the band's career, it shows a promising future that looked ever so bleak just a mere three years ago. If the band continues on this path, they are sure to please not only their fans, but also themselves as they age". Allmusic writer Gregory Heaney said the EP "will surprise anyone who might have tuned out after 'All the Small Things' dominated the airwaves, but given the newfound maturity in their sound, the change is one that's both expected and welcomed." Writer of Kerrang! magazine Paul Travers said "the overall effect is one of a versatile, diffuse, but somehow far more focused collection of songs than were present on Neighborhoods. Added with those elements of their classic sound and what we have here is a stopgap EP that promises even greater things ahead for blink-182."

In 2013, Chris Payne of Billboard referred to the EP as "underrated."

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, and Travis Barker, except where noted. 

No.	Title	Length
1.	"When I Was Young"	3:28
2.	"Dogs Eating Dogs"	3:30
3.	"Disaster"	3:42
4.	"Boxing Day"	3:59
5.	"Pretty Little Girl" (featuring and co-written by Yelawolf)	4:20
Total length:		19:00

Personnel

Blink-182

• Mark Hoppus – bass guitar, vocals, guitar, producer
• Tom DeLonge – guitars, vocals, synthesizers, producer
• Travis Barker – drums, percussion, keyboards, synthesizers, producer

Production

• Chris Holmes – co-producer
• Aaron Rubin – engineer
• Franco Vescovi – cover artwork

Additional musicians

• Yelawolf – vocals on "Pretty Little Girl"

Chart performance

Album

Chart (2012)	Peak position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)	21
US Billboard 200	23
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)	2
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)	5
US Digital Albums (Billboard)	3

Singles

Year	Song	Chart	Position
2012	Dogs Eating Dogs	Irish Singles Chart	55