TIN Bites Back at Toxic Gay Culture on New Single “Dog”
TIN has never exactly been shy about turning the messier parts of gay life into pop music, but on new single “Dog”, he’s properly baring his teeth.
Following the sunnier romantic escapism of “Madrid (Dance All Summer),” the London-based Australian pop artist switches gears dramatically with a heavy, confrontational club track aimed squarely at toxic behaviour within the gay community — particularly the sort that somehow gets conveniently overlooked when the person responsible is hot, popular or possesses the right kind of social currency.
And yes, pretty privilege is very much on trial here.
“Dog” grew out of TIN’s experiences within the gay party scene, where he says he became increasingly frustrated watching racism, bullying, discrimination and even more serious behaviour being excused because of somebody’s appearance or status.
The final straw came during an encounter at a chillout when someone asked to see a photograph of TIN’s boyfriend before casually informing him that apparently “the unattractive ones always pull the hot ones.”
Christ.
It’s the sort of casually vicious comment that can take a moment to register before the full awfulness sinks in — and for TIN, it eventually became fuel for a song.
Rather than retreating, he turns the whole experience outward on “Dog”, transforming that cruelty into a gloriously confrontational club-pop diss track complete with cheerleader-style chants and even moments of TIN speaking in Vietnamese, his mother tongue.
There’s something particularly satisfying about hearing someone take a moment designed to make them feel small and turn it into something this loud.
At its core, “Dog” isn’t simply about one unpleasant interaction. TIN uses it to poke at a much bigger issue: the way attractiveness, status and popularity can create a weird bubble of immunity within certain corners of gay culture. His lyrics also explore the darker contradiction behind that privilege — people who seemingly have everything while simultaneously existing within worlds of addiction, self-destruction and increasingly toxic behaviour.
It is pointed, personal and considerably less interested in playing nice than some of TIN’s previous work.
EQ Music audiences actually got an early taste of the track when TIN debuted “Dog” live at our Emerging Artist Showcase at The Camden Club on 29 October. Watching him introduce new material in that room made perfect sense because TIN has always occupied the space that EQ Music loves most: fiercely independent queer pop that isn’t afraid to actually say something.
We’ve watched TIN’s music evolve considerably over the years, from the misadventures documented across Sex Cologne and Cigarettes through to his 2024 album Dear Matthew, which explored everything from party-boy culture to his experiences navigating those spaces as a queer person of colour.
“Dog” feels like another progression of that same honesty — only this time, the claws are considerably sharper.
And if you want considerably more TIN, we’ve got you covered.
Our latest EQ Music Zine, Issue 004, features an exclusive interview with TIN, getting deeper into the artist behind the songs and his ongoing journey as one of the independent queer pop performers we continue to champion.
Because for all the fun and fabulousness surrounding queer nightlife, sometimes someone needs to point at the elephant in the club and say: actually, that’s really not OK.
TIN has decided to do exactly that.
And he’s given us a rather filthy club beat to dance to while he does it.
Stream “Dog” by TIN on Spotify
The post TIN Bites Back at Toxic Gay Culture on New Single “Dog” appeared first on EQ Music.
