LOCAL MUSIC SPOTLIGHT: dogwhistle

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Toronto's Post-Hardcore band dogwhistle. Photo Credit: Sammy Bauer

By: Jay Broderick - Music... when it comes to playing it (whether you're literally playing in a band, or having it blast through your ear pods), there is nothing better than playing it loud! Hence our namesake here at LOUDTO! For safety reasons, please don't take my word for it, but there is something special about "forgetting" your earplugs before a big concert. I love it! Trust me, you will pay the next day, and YOU WILL pay when you're older, but man, that's Rock and Roll! Needless to say, when a post-hardcore, noisy band like Toronto's dogwhistle comes across your desk, it's hard not to "listen".

Born in the spring of 2024 (yep, just 1 year ago), dogwhistle is fed up! Fed up with the mistreatment. Fed up with the oppression! Fed up with injustices of so many, while the rest turn a blind eye. And that's where the angst comes in. As I reflect, it's a similar outrage that the past 4 generations have fought so valiantly against. Of course, the anti-war hippie movement of the 1960s stood strong against the atrocities of war. Reggae and Punk of the 1970s reflected on social and political unrest. Heavy Metal came about in the 80s, with their environmental rage, and the cloud of fear we lived under in relation to nuclear holocaust. Despite the ire, one thing always united, and that was the music! There is no better way to get your message out than through music. That's just what dogwhistle did! Despite the band being so young, they are clearly not afraid to let the man know what they think!

The First EP

While loud music is king, it's not all that the band wanted. They wanted their music to be the emissary, raising awareness in relation to the current socio-political landscape. On May 30, 2025, dogwhistle released their first EP Textile Waste on Endnote Records. Man, this 6-track debut is bruising! With the longest track clocking in at 2:44, dogwhistle doesn't fuck around. In true punk fashion, they quickly kick you in the teeth, then to make sure you got it, close it off with the same. The first official single from the EP is "First Person Shooter". It's a song that rips into the tools of modern militarism, and by the song's end, you yourself will feel like you've just been through a war!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c3oC-g-Xf0

dogwhistle consists of vocalist Kenley Meredith Ku, bassist Hank Ko, guitarists Nate Hobor and Mariful Alam, and drummer Jaeden Noel. They are inspired by hardcore and noise rock bands of the 1990s like Killing Joke and Helmet. Stand by... things are about to get real!!!

Check the band's linktree for upcoming shows!

dogwhistle Online

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