Album Review: DUG, Have At It!

Since forming in late 2023, DUG have became a lauded fixture on the Grafton Street busking circuit, sold out Whelan’s twice without so much as a release, unleashed five incredibly strong singles, and signed with the legendary Claddagh Records.

Now, we arrive at their sprawling debut album, Have At It!. Straddling both sides of the Atlantic, the record pulls liberally from tradition, including Appalachian reels, Irish balladry and New Grass clippings, yet these songs put a fresh and wily spin on old sounds and ideas.

The standout is the title track, which draws on a text from O’Reilly’s father in the family group chat, in which he sent a picture of his will – a napkin scribbled with the words “Have at it!” This tongue-in-cheek raillery fuses seamlessly with the track’s overarching bent towards accepting the good and bad hands previously dealt, with O’Reilly resigning himself to “washing his hands of this world.”

Other highlights include the swaggering ‘Big Sundown’, the optimistic ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ and the rallying cry of ‘Jubilee’.

Quite simply, DUG have served up one of the finest albums of the year.

9/10