Today, Ireland’s hottest live powerhouse The Scratch are back, and louder than ever with news of a new album, Pull Like A Dog. Written in Hellfire Studio in Dublin with engineer Thomas Donoghue and producer John ‘Spud’ Murphy (Lankum, Black Midi, caroline), Pull Like A Dog is a fiercely powerful introduction to a brand new chapter for the band and is set for release on 13 March 2026 via Music For Nations / Sony Music Ireland.
The band also today release the album title track. The single is a prime example of The Scratch’s raw talent and ability to stretch the confines of genre – always looking to create something that is distinctive and original. Booting the album open like a pub door on a Friday night, the title track tosses 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’ is a collaboration with the band and noted Dublin-based videographer Paul Gleeson. The video comes to life on the shores of Lough Ree (Shannon, Ireland). 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.
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 Live Dates
November
7/8 – Iceland Airwaves, Reykjavík, Iceland
11 – EXIL, Zürich, Switzerland
12 – Feierwerk (Kranhalle), Munich, Germany
13 – Flex Café, Vienna, Austria
14 – Café v Lese, Prague, Czechia
16 – Badehaus Berlin, Berlin, Germany
17 – Pumpehuset, Copenhagen, Denmark
19 – Doornroosje, Nijmegen, Netherlands
20 – De Effenaar, Eindhoven, Netherlands
22 – Les Étoiles, Paris, France
23 – Melkweg OZ, Amsterdam, Netherlands
24 – Nachtleben, Frankfurt, Germany
25 – Kavka Oudaan, Antwerp, Belgium
27 – MTC Club, Cologne, Germany
29 – Other Voices Festival, Dingle, Ireland
December
13 – Gleneagle Club, Killarney, Ireland
19 – The Social, Derrybeg, Ireland
20 – Set Theatre, Kilkenny, Ireland
21 – The Haven, Dunmore, Ireland
22 – Spirit Store, Louth, Ireland
27 – The Nerve Centre, Derry, Ireland
28 – Imperial Night Club, Cavan, Ireland
2026
April
23 – SWG3, Glasgow, UK
24 – The Key Club, Leeds, UK
25 – Club Academy, Manchester, UK
26 – Thekla, Bristol, UK
28 – Hare and Hounds, Birmingham, UK
29 – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, UK
30 – Islington Assembly Hall, London, UK
For more information on The Scratch please check their instagram and tiktok.