Big Dog’s sound hovers between two worlds, gritty punk honesty always simmering below gleaming atmospherics, impossible to ignore. There are alternative rock touchstones—you’ll hear Live Through This, The Distillers, Mazzy Star —and one genuine alternative rock icon in Lee Ranaldo, who contributes guitar to "See'er.” But there’s also a sleekness that’s just as much a callback to ‘80s coldwave as it is to ecstatic forms of dance music. Salmena’s rich voice is ever-present, a constant warm glow within a mesh of mechanical sounds. At its core, Big Dog is more than just a record about discovering who you are by processing painful experiences. It’s a record about discovering that you are never really alone.