The Dogmatics channel a new creative outlet with ‘You’ve Got What I Want’
Legendary Boston garage rock band unleash a punchy new single with a rich backstory out Friday, June 20 via Rum Bar Records
The Dogmatics’ first new full-length album in nearly 40 years out in July
Record release party July 26 at The French American Victory Club in Waltham
Photo Credit: Nicole Tammaro Photography
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BOSTON, Mass. [June 20, 2025] -- There’s an old adage in rock and roll about how The Velvet Underground never sold a lot of records, but those who did buy one went on to form a band. Perhaps the Boston music scene equivalent is about The Outlets, and how everyone who went to their shows around the city in the early-’80s went home and wrote a song trying to sound like them.
The Dogmatics’ Jerry Lehane was one of those people, catching the band at The Channel as a 20-year-old way back in 1981 and quickly returning to his band’s infamous Thayer Street loft to write “You’ve Got What I Want.” Nearly 45 years later, the punchy garage rock track finally sees the light of day as it gets the proper recorded treatment and hits the streams on Friday, June 20 on the legendary band’s home of Rum Bar Records.
“I loved The Outlets’ punk energy, and pop aspect, as well, so I was trying to write a song that sounded similar to their sound,” Lehane says. “Regarding the lyrics, I thought it would be cool to have people guess what it was about, ‘was it about sex’ or ‘was it about drugs’? It is clearly about drugs after listening to the Velvet Underground’s ‘Waiting For My Man’.”
It turns out the Velvets had some impact too! Brimming with classic Dogmatics punkabilly and surf n’ skate energy at an economical 95 seconds in length, “You’ve Got What I Want” is the final single before the band unleashes its first new full-length album in nearly four decades, arriving on Friday, July 18.
A raucous record release party at Waltham’s French American Victory Club follows the next weekend on Saturday, July 26, and the lineup is pretty much its own one-off music festival. Joining The Dogmatics from afternoon to evening are a host of friends and family, rounding up the definable sound of Boston across several decades: Black Cheers, Jay Allen and the Archcriminals, Last Stand, Gypsy Moths, Tom Baker and the Double Down, Stop Calling Me Frank, and Band 19.
It’s a celebration, and The Dogmatics have exciting sounds – both new and old, and some in between – to show off.
“We have evolved from the band we once were based on our life experiences, and the experience you get from playing together for so long,” Lehane says. “We feel so grateful that we have the opportunity to release a new album.”
Incredibly, “You’ve Got What I Want” is actually heard, albeit briefly, in director Rudy Childs’ acclaimed 2023 documentary The Dogmatics: A Dogumentary. The comprehensive look at the band’s career has dominated the indie film circuit since its release, and chronicles The Dogmatics’impact and influence on Boston’s ‘80s music scene until co-founder and bassist Paul O'Halloran tragically passed away in a 1986 motorcycle accident on the Southeast Expressway.
When Childs and band relative and archivist Jada Maxwell were researching the four-year documentary project, they uncovered a Dogmatics live tape from a “Metrowave” radio performance on Emerson College’s WERS, and “You’ve Got What I Want” was one of the songs the band played. For decades, it’s been in the vault as a legacy track, until Lehane and the band – joined by Peter O’Halloran on rhythm guitar; Paul’s brother Jimmy O’Halloran on bass; Tom Long on drums; and new recruit James Young on backing vocals – decided to record it and feature it on the forthcoming album.
“It was selected as a single because of the energy and punch it has,” Lehane adds, “and clearly has the same feel of what we used to play back in the ‘80s.”
Recorded at Edsbarn in Canton, Massachusetts, and produced and engineered by Ed Riemer with mastering by Dave Westner, “You’ve Got What I Want” is a link to The Dogmatics’ past that also allows them to embrace the future. After reforming in 2019, the band has gigged regularly around New England, releasing a series of well-received singles and a 2022 EP for Rum Bar in Drop The Needle. Uninterested in being purely a throwback or nostalgia band, the newly-released Dogmatics material sounds like it came from a new band emerging out of an Allston basement or Somerville loft.
“The 10 songs on the forthcoming album show a lot of variety and breadth beyond the classic garage-rocking reputation,” says Young, a mandolin player who grew up listening to the band before officially joining for this second act. “My personal hope was that this is such a hard-charging rocking short and sweet song that it would be undeniable that the band has not lost its edge.”
Young, who has played with Peter O’Halloran for years in The Hired Men, hopes “You”ve Got What I Want” will challenge some expectations about what longtime fans might expect from The Dogmatics. And it might also appeal to a new generation of listeners.
“I think it hints at the power and continued relevance of the band’s ability to make simple fun music that touches on contemporary issues in a light-hearted, not preachy, way,” Young adds. “I also think it signals that the cumulative talent across the band has all this diverse musical influence and there’s something new about how that’s all coming together at this point in the band’s history.”
Lehane is quick to point out that Young has been instrumental to this new era of The Dogmatics, taking the more traditional, folk, Irish, and roots musical styles of The Hired Men and bringing that influence to this new era. Young handles a lot of the business and promotional aspects of the band, from running the social media to designing the artwork, as he does here for “You’ve Got What I Want.” The cover depicts an illustrated skateboard with frenetic motion that aligns nicely with the track’s youthful and snarky vigor.
“The addition of James has changed the band in a very good way,” Lehane notes. “You will hear the influence on the new album. We just do our thing, and we are again so grateful that we have friends – dare I say fans – that come out and cheer us on. I am proud to still be playing with my friends and making rock n' roll music that I believe will have an impact.”
And the cycle continues. Because when Lehane and the guys celebrate the album at the release show in Waltham, it’s possible there will be a 20-something in the audience, taking it all in. And that person just might race home, bust out a guitar, and write a song that sounds just like The Dogmatics.
Contact: Please direct media inquiries to Michael O’Connor Marotta at michael@knyvet.com, label inquiries to Lou Mansdorf at malibuloupr@gmail.com, and reach The Dogmatics at rumbardogmatic@gmail.com.
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Record release party lineup:
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The Dogmatics are:
Jerry Lehane: Lead vocals and lead guitar
Peter O’Halloran: Rhythm guitar
Jimmy O’Halloran: Bass
Tom Long: Drums
James Young: Backing vocals and mandolin
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‘You’ve Got What I Want’ artwork:
Designed by James Young
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‘You’ve Got What I Want’ production credits:
Lyrics and music by Jerry Lehane
Recorded at Edsbarn in Canton, MA
Produced and engineered by Ed Riemer
Mastered by Dave Westner
Logo by Barry Hall
Single artwork design by James Young
Released on Rum Bar Records
© The Dogmatics 2025 thedogmatics.com
ISRC Code: ushm82541653
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The Dogmatics short bio
Formed in 1981 and still writing and performing new music today, The Dogmatics is a Boston-area band known for its pioneering garage rock sound, including punk and rockabilly elements.
In the 1980s, they released one single and two albums and toured with renowned acts such as The Bangles, The Fleshtones, The Replacements, and Beastie Boys. Multiple bands, including The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Letters to Cleo, have covered their songs.
“All time favorite garage rock band ❤️” – Dicky Barrett
After the tragic loss of founding member and bassist Paul O’Halloran in 1986, the band disbanded for some time. However, they never lost their friendship or love for playing together, and in the following years, they would occasionally regroup for charity events.
In 2019, they teamed up with Rum Bar Records to record their first new material in over 30 years with the release of their EP “She’s The One.” The new tracks delighted long-time fans and newcomers alike. Despite the disruption of the pandemic, they kept up their momentum and released the EP “Drop That Needle” in 2022.
In 2023, Massachusetts film director Rudy Childs, in collaboration with band archivist and O’Halloran family niece Jada Maxwell (and others), completed a four-year documentary effort crafted as a tribute to Paul. The resulting full-length documentary titled The Dogmatics: A Dogumentary (They Were Boston’s House Band) won awards across film festivals through 2024 and will be widely released in early 2025.
The band released the single “I Can’t Get Over You” in 2023, followed by two singles, “Library Girl” and “With A Scarlet Letter,” in 2024. They are currently recording material for a full album release in 2025.
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‘You’ve Got What I Want’ lyrics:
You’ve got what I want
You’ve got what I need
You’ve got what I want
Give it to me
I see you in the day
I see you in the night
I see you all the time
All right
I look out my window
I sit and I wait
I see you coming
It’s never too late
You’ve got what I want
You’ve got what I need
You’ve got what I want
Give it to me
I see you in the day
I see you in the night
I see you all the time
All right
I look out my window
I sit and I wait
I see you coming
It’s never too late
You’ve got what I want
You’ve got what I need
You’ve got what I want
Give it to me
I see you in the day
I see you in the night
I see you all the time
All right
All right
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Recent media praise for The Dogmatics
“...the band continues to build a current-day (2019 to present) body of work that can hold its own with its classic '80s output.” _Faster And Louder
“Who let the dogs out! Woof.” _Bill Kelly's Blackhole Bandstand in The Underground Garage
“Oooooo! I dig it!” _Palmyra Delran in The Underground Garage
“The Dogmatics have been at it making great rock n’ roll for a while now. The passion is clearly still there …spin those records!!” _Rising with Skybar on WMFO
“‘Library Girl’ is the kind of rock song any fan of this kind of music should get to know to draw The Dogmatics out of the Boston circuit. Yes, Library Girl is that good, believe me.” _WoNoBlog
“The years seem to just melt away when you hear the new Dogmatics song ‘I Can’t Get Over You’. The song is mid-’80s Dogmatics ...the sound, the song style, the sound of the voices and the feel of the lyrics. It has two of the attributes we love the most with punk songs – it’s catchy and short.” _Boston Groupie News
“When it comes to all the fabled punk rock scenes of ‘back in the day’, I'd probably take Boston over New York, Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco, or even L.A. And my favorite Boston band, by far, would have to be the Dogmatics. To me, they're pretty much the definitive Boston garage/punk band.” _Faster And Louder
Media Contact: Michael O’Connor Marotta at michael@knyvet.com
Radio Contact: Lou Mansdorf at malibuloupr@gmail.com
Band Contact: James Young at rumbardogmatic@gmail.com
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