While flashy and intense, MAN BITES DOG lacks a vision and a voice, and is missing the unique production style that put femtanyl on the map.
Noelle Stockwood, stage name femtanyl, first gained attention following the release of her first EP, Chaser, which went semi-viral on TikTok in 2023. The unique combination of compressed samples and intense melodies in songs like “Girl Hell 1999” and “Katamari” struck a chord with listeners and propelled femtanyl to recognition among many online spaces. This was around the time I began to take interest in the project due to the undeniably unique style which, while at the time untapped, I felt could be expanded into a solid discography. Riding the wave of hype, she would release multiple singles along with her second EP, Reactor, in 2024. In 2025, femtanyl expanded from a solo act into a duo following the addition of Juno Callender, and MAN BITES DOG marks the first studio album released under the now-expanded project.
Right off the bat, it becomes clear that MAN BITES DOG has a different style than returning listeners may be used to. With the grimier and noisier production, at times the album sounds less like classic femtanyl and more like the older works of Machine Girl. These influences become more apparent as the album goes on, with “Video Nasty” and “City” sounding like they wouldn’t be out of place on The Ugly Art. There were definitely stand-out parts of the album, with “Shows You the Way to the Hiway” being my personal favorite, and I also enjoyed pieces of “Head Up” and the latter half of “This Is It”. Unfortunately, that’s about all I have to say positively about the album.
Very few of the songs on MAN BITES DOG stood out to me as being particularly memorable, which stands in comparison to femtanyl’s previous body of work, which all had a unique feel and were easily recallable. The album leans heavily into influences from other digital hardcore bands, and consequently, it lacks its own distinct identity. The album’s callbacks to previous works such as the reuse of the text-to-speech voice from “Katamari” in “Sick of It”, or the return of the sample and part of the melody from “P3T” in “Is This It” ended up ringing a little hollow to me as I couldn’t help but be reminded of those songs which felt much more soulful and memorable in comparison.
While possessing a couple of notable highlights, MAN BITES DOG ended up feeling lackluster in comparison to femtanyl’s previous body of work. I don’t doubt femtanyl’s ability to continue to make interesting and unique music going forward, even with the added creative input of a new member, but this album reads as a misstep to me, and I feel the duo could benefit from searching for a unique voice much like the one that put the project on the map to begin with. Overall, I’d rate the album at around a 6.5/10, and while this album didn’t land for me, I remain interested to see how the duo will refine their direction going forward.
Hi, my name is David Koskey and I am a Junior studying Civil Engineering. My music tastes lie all over the place but my favorite album of all time is Daft Punk's Discovery.
