ARTIST HIGHLIGHT - DOGPARK
Kenzie Gay - @kenzwrites
“Genuinely the most talented artist on this app, if not the whole world”
“Words cannot describe how much I love your voice, dude”
“My jaw always drops when you start singing”
“Get this man a record deal!”
“This might be Jeff Buckley”
All of these are real comments from singer/songwriter Eamon Mo’s Tiktok page, which you can find at @eamonmomusic.
Now, unless you’re one of the 59k monthly listeners of Dogpark, Mo’s band, then you’ve probably never heard of the young musician.
Today, that changes.
Who is Eamon Mo?
Eamon Mo, as I mentioned earlier, is the face and lead singer of Dogpark. The band is based in both the New York City and Richmond areas and thanks to Mo’s online popularity, they’ve steadily grown over the last 6 months since their debut EP titled Breaking in Brooklyn.
Mo first rose to popularity on Tiktok for his song covers, specifically due to the uncanny similarities between his vocal style and the late Jeff Buckley’s. His most viral videos include a cover of Hozier’s Francesca, Guns N’ Roses’ Sweet Child O’ Mine, Frank Ocean’s Godspeed, and Metric’s Black Sheep.
Although Mo’s covers are undeniably amazing and prove that he is a wickedly talented individual, I think that the real gift is found in Dogpark’s original music.
What is Dogpark?
Composed of Eamon (vox), Chris (drums), Billy (guitar), Will (bass), and Declan (guitar), Dogpark began as your typical hometown band playing college house shows up until this year. With the aforementioned release of Breaking in Brooklyn, Dogpark established themselves as a force to be reckoned with; combining elements of folk, rock, and something new entirely.
At the start of May, the five piece embarked on their very first mini-tour. They played cities such as Nashville, Washington DC, and Chicago which in turn, gained them further opportunities such as a set at this year’s Iron Blossom Music Festival in Richmond AND a string of shows opening for The Moss on their summer 2024 tour.
Dogpark - The Music
From a style standpoint, Dogpark’s music is almost reminiscent of Crowded House’s: the hit Australian rock band from the late 1980s. That’s just the foundation, however, because if there is one thing about this band it’s that they do NOT lack originality.
In debut albums and EPs, I think it is rare for it to be unique on its own since every band or soloist starts out with work centered around their inspirations but with Dogpark, the ingenuity is a driving force.
Take their song Make it Happen, for example: it opens up with a blend of noise that falls right into the actual song, which is pumped full of groovy yet organized factors that work in each other’s favor. It’s the type of number that belongs in a movie like The Devil Wears Prada or Coyote Ugly due to its dramatic and fun zest.
Though Dogpark only has their 5 song EP out for listeners, their chemistry and manner as a group can be further understood through, funnily enough: more covers! On Youtube, they’ve released renditions of popular songs such as This Love (originally done by Maroon 5), 505 (originally done by The Arctic Monkeys), and a few others that all radiate the band’s approach at music as a whole.
Dogpark - Down the Road
As a journalist, music enjoyer, and Dogpark fan, I think it goes without saying that I urge you to check this group out. Their music has been a continuous rotation amongst my playlists since their EP dropped in January and I can only imagine what the future holds for Dogpark. Maybe they’ll even stop by for a show in West Michigan, that would be pretty sick (manifestation at its finest, folks!).
