Dog Race Interview: A Rising Gothic Act Caught in Threatics

“We wanted to maybe steer away from that kind of gimmicky, gothic aesthetic and go for more like a psychological horror tape,” says Katie Healy, vocalist of Dog Race, on a cold winter's day over Zoom; fronting a band that doesn’t just flirt with darkness, but practically rolls around in it. Whether on record or in their striking, tight-budget music videos, the Bedford-formed five-piece conjure a world of slow-burning dread, theatrical flair, and cold, spectral beauty.

If you’ve heard their latest single ‘The Leader’ — all baroque chants, icy synths and operatic menace — you’ll know Dog Race aren’t interested in half-measures. The accompanying video, directed and edited by drummer (and Katie’s brother) Jed Healy, who eventually joins us online, features Katie digging her own grave and slowly lying in it. “Right, picture this,” she remembers saying to him. “I’ve got a shovel. I’m gonna bury and dig a grave and bury myself.” Followed swiftly by Jed’s apprehensive response, “Hmm, OK. Cool.”

Shot entirely on favours and borrowed gear — “I got a friend to shoot it so it was like zero-budget,” says Jed — the video is hypnotic, brooding and weirdly beautiful. “What felt right was to slow everything down and let things play out a little bit more,” he adds. “Make it psychologically disturbing in the sense, but kind of fun at the same time… we had a lot of fun with it.”

That balance of menace and mischief has come to define Dog Race’s universe. There’s a recurring red dress in the visuals — “representing anger and the female rage coming through,” as Katie puts it — and a heavy influence from '70s and '80s horror. Kubrick looms large over their references, not just in terms of framing, but in psychological mood. Nothing is rushed. Everything simmers.

But their story didn’t begin with baroque pop and Kubrick homages. It began, as many good stories do, with a lot of chaos.

“Very DIY,” says Jed. “Through lots of different band members until recording The Squeeze.” Alongside guitarist James Kelly, bassist Will Macnab, and keys player Dillon Willis, the band finally found its full form — but the core has always been Katie and Jed. “We’re siblings,” Katie smiles, dryly.

The pair grew up in a village outside Bedford, discovering music in the gaps between transport limitations and weekend gigs. “We played gigs maybe within the 40-mile radius of Bedford — including Esquires and The Horn and Cambridge,” Katie recalls. “We’re playing in London a lot now… but we love Esquires anyway.”

Their musical education started young — courtesy of their father. “He definitely played in a lot of Gothic bands,” Katie says. “And he’s a self-proclaimed goth as well.” Siouxsie & The Banshees, Bauhaus and The Cure were regular fixtures. “That’s probably seeped into the early days of Dog Race and it’s spiralled from there.” Jed remembers being handed The ‘Greatest Punk Albums of All Time’ CD by their dad when he was 15; a moment he credits with putting him behind the kit.

The band’s formative singles — ‘Terror’ and ‘There’s a Mouse in My House’ — hinted at something distinct: cold-wave tension met with theatrical urgency. But it was a collaboration with producer Jessica Winter that helped crystallise their direction. “We were still a young band,” Katie explains. “She heard the demos and said, ‘This sounds like Bauhaus, The Cure and Christian Death.’ That gave me confidence, gave us confidence.”

From there, they leaned further into the unsettling, forging what Katie calls “our own style as opposed to trying to copy or emulate what everyone else is doing.” Being part of the scene, without being trapped by it.

That progression only sharpened once they began working with producer Ali Chant (Dry Cleaning, Portishead, Sorry), and signed to his label, Fascination Street. “He’s such a wonderful person to work with in the sense that he lets you express and push boundaries,” Jed says. “He can guide you in such a lovely way that will keep it from sounding… shit.”

Katie agrees. “Ali really brings all of our ideas to life, which is amazing to have. He’s got different synths, plus all of these special little vintage, Victorian pianos… it just makes it really exciting to play with.” The studio vibe, they both note, is full of laughter and piss-taking. “Each day in the studio we have such a good time,” says Jed. “It’s just got such a good energy.”

And that energy has started to spill outwards. After Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop spotlighted the band, everything shifted. “I think everything changed for us really after we got that,” says Katie. “We’ve got so many streams in the US and all over the world… I don’t think that would have ever come from anything but his fanbase specifically.”

The reaction was instant. “You know when something’s happening in the band, when you feel your phone just buzzing with messages,” Jed laughs. “It’s like, ‘WTF?!’” Katie nods. “I’ve never felt adrenaline like it, if I’m honest. Our phones just went off for two weeks straight.”

That surge of momentum brought industry interest, a deal with ATC, and a summer packed with festival appearances. “We’d been shortlisted for the Truck Fest Band App and were put on this huge, 8,000-capacity stage,” Katie says. “It was on a Sunday — one of the worst festival slots. I thought, ‘We’ve fucked it.’” But when they took the stage, the tent was full. “We couldn’t believe the reception,” she says. “Two weeks later we headlined a packed-out tent in Germany and were like, ‘What the fuck is going on?!’”.

It’s felt like a turning point. “We’re currently seeing the fruits of our labour,” Katie reflects. “There’ve been a lot of ups and downs — painstaking, grinding-it-out times,” Jed adds. “But we stayed persistent.”

Still, they’re honest about the toll of touring. “We played Manchester and Sheffield recently and were struggling to even just cover our accommodation or our travel,” says Jed. “European festivals have so much more to offer us,” Katie notes. “They treat you much better.” Right now, the band is able to sustain itself thanks to full-time jobs. “We’re lucky,” she admits. “I imagine it’s a very dire situation for those musicians and artists that have to do that full-time.”

Following the release of their debut EP, ‘Return the Day’, the band offers insight into their inspirations and aims, “We want to go church-y,” Katie says, “but not too church-y and gimmicky. More like that orchestral ride Nick Cave has in his productions.”

They’re also keen to experiment more — perhaps with a composer, strings, or something that pushes their sound to its theatrical limit. Because for Dog Race, theatrical doesn’t mean artificial. It means expressive. Emotional. Elevated.

“It’s quite a tricky thing,” Jed says. “Feeling like you’re being authentic and original at the same time. I think it’s quite challenging.”

Dog Race make it look strikingly easy.

Dog Race’s debut EP, Return the Day, is out now via Fascination Street Records and can be found below.

Tickets to their upcoming UK tour can be found here.