Please Describe Yourself

Dogs Die in Hot Cars were formed when secondary school pupils Craig Macintosh (lead vocals, guitar), Gary Smith (vocals, guitar), Lee Worrall (bass) and Laurence Davey (drums) met whilst attending Madras College in St Andrews, Scotland. The band practiced in Davey's basement, slowly graduating from Nirvana cover versions After practicing in Wormit, Fife, the band relocated to Glasgow, adding Ruth Quigley (keyboard, vocals) as the final member. along with "Celebrity Sanctum" and "Somewhat Off The Way." The three-track release peaked at number 79 on the UK Singles Chart. Described as "mix of ska rhythms and new wave pop hooks" by Allmusic, and an EP titled Man Bites Man was released by the band in 2004, "[...] part of the reason why we decided to call the album Please Describe Yourself [is because] it's like those dating channels: everybody goes, 'from London, happy-go-lucky'; nobody says, 'I’m a manic depressive', or 'I think I’m indescribable'. So we’re kind of throwing the question back." Macintosh has said that they wanted "to write tunes where the song would reach its conclusion and you might even want to play it again" on the record. He also spoke of their willingness to record songs that were "big already" and did not need guitar solos, or what he described as "the new guitar solo" – rap. ==Music==

Style Please Describe Yourself takes influence from a wide variety of genres. One article in The Times said "Dogs Die don’t slot into any one musical genre — their forthcoming album, Please Describe Yourself, covers everything from ska to summer pop to Talking Heads-type rock", while another said "Please Describe Yourself ... changes styles so often that it’s hard to keep up. The thread is that all ten tracks are catchy, quirky pop-rock with clever, slightly off-kilter lyrics that tend to take a dig at modern living." However, the band have claimed that they do not list them as an influence, as "none of us has ever owned a single Dexys record." their highest-charting song to date. Speaking of the song's minor success, Lee Worral noted that "It was 17 midweek, so we were like, 'Wow, we could be on Top of the Pops!' But obviously, later on in the week all the kids get their pocket money and go out and buy Britney Spears or whatever. So 24 was great. See if we can better it with the next one." According to The Independent, the second song on the album, "Lounger", is "a song about an overeducated, lazy bohemian" with lyrics such as "I get up when I want/Don't have to eat my greens/Or keep my bedroom tidy" guaranteed to appeal to students. It was the last Dogs Die in Hot Cars single to chart. The third song and second single from the album is titled "I Love You 'Cause I Have To." "Celebrity Sanctum", both the fourth track and fourth single from the album, according to Gareth Dobson of Drowned in Sound, is "a song about vicarious love and image obsession." Dobson called the song, which namechecks celebrities such as Lucy Liu and Catherine Zeta-Jones, "a moving sense of ennui rather than attempting to play it for laughs", whilst The Age said that "[Cameron is] losing himself in the thrall of icon obsession." The final single was "Pastimes and Lifestyles." Described as "the closest the band gets to a fashionably post-punk style." ==Critical reception==

Please Describe Yourself was critically well received. Allmusic's Heather Phares said: "on Please Describe Yourself Dogs Die in Hot Cars mine the past of British pop but find relatively fresh ways of rediscovering it", William Swygart of Stylus drew attention to the "frustratingly flimsy feel" of the album, calling it "that of a band that think they’re much better than they really are." However, Swygart went on to acknowledge the "genuinely enjoyable moments", noting that it was the band's first album. Andy Gill of The Independent called it "an oddly hollow experience." ==Chart performance==

Please Describe Yourself debuted and peaked on the UK Albums Chart at number 44 on the week of 24 July 2004. The album dropped to number 71 the following week before exiting the Top 100. ==Track listing==

:All songs written by Craig Macintosh, except where noted. ==Personnel==

;Production • Dogs Die in Hot Cars – Arranger • Clive Langer – Producer • Alan Winstanley – Producer ;Dogs Die in Hot Cars • Craig Macintosh • Gary Smith • Lee Worrall • Ruth Quigley • Laurence Davey ;Design • Steve Crichton – Images • Craig Macintosh – Design • Eddie Martin – Design, Images • Pete Martin – Images • Elizabeth Ogilvie – Images • Perou – Images ==Release history==