DocturDot Is Howling At Da Moon With His First Solo Album
2025 is the year for DocturDot as he makes his debut solo album. A month ago, “Howl at da Moon” was released on DocturDot’s 35th birthday, October 25. The long-awaited solo album has been in the works since 2023, when DocturDot felt he wasn’t being heard as the pandemic became the new normal for the world.
He poured his heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into this album with the help of his friends and peers like Shawn K, Natra Average, who has helped produce on songs from the album like ‘Keep it in the Fam’, ‘Debo’ that features rappers Deante’ Hitchcock and BIGG CUP, producer Thankyoudish who’s helped on ‘Pure Debauchery’ that includes Atlanta rapper Marco Plus, and many more!
What started as DocturDot wanting to make his voice heard later turned into a movement and a growing business with Free Graffiti. To be blessed with the opportunity of witnessing Dot’s success in real time has been amazing. The album was solidified as the beginning of ‘Red Band Trailer’ begins playing with vocals from his family and closest friends and leading to the next song where he uses an old demo made by his father in the late 80s.
During the making of “Howl at da Moon,” most of these songs were made in the privacy of Dot’s home. The sound and storytelling on “Howl at da Moon” come together like an old-school anime movie you’d catch at a drive-in theater — the type you watch with your friends or someone you’re low-key vibing with. The production from each song builds that cinematic feeling: beautifully transitioned, the production feels like scenes shifting from comedy to drama without ever losing the plot.
Lyrically, Dot leans into that same energy. His words move between humor, honesty, fire, love, and those unexpected moments where he howls through the chaos — literally and metaphorically. When you listen to the album from Dot’s point of view, you begin to understand that he is just as relatable as all of us. There’s a youthful nostalgia in the way he paints emotions, but still a maturity in how he delivers them. The album gives you jokes, vulnerability, confidence, and those random ‘Awoooo’ moments that make everything feel alive and uniquely his sound.
Each track feels like its own scene, stitched together with intention. There are moments where the production opens up and brings you back to a time when music made you feel alive, and others where the live instruments being played would snap you right back into reality. Dot uses that contrast to show different sides of himself — the artist who jokes through the pressure, the friend who thinks deeply, the man trying to navigate love and ambition at the same time. It’s the kind of album that doesn’t just play in the background; it builds a world you step into, one moonlit frame at a time.
My favorite songs off the album are ‘Keep it in da Fam’, ‘Pure Debauchery’ with Atlanta rapper Marco Plus, and ‘Flamingo’. These songs stand out to me most for their production. I remember being able to listen to the first version of each song and loving that they all have their own sound, but it still gave me a sense of how the album was coming together.
With ‘Keep it in da Fam’, the song was originally called ‘Plot Twist’, but knowing that DocturDot got these old demos of his father from his mother and sent them over to Natra Average to be a part of his album felt like a full circle moment between him and his family. It reminds me of a time in the early 2000s when music was at its peak. It brings a nostalgic feel anytime I blast the song in my headphones.
For ‘Pure Debauchery’ and ‘Flamingo’, I listen to those songs, and it gives me that anime feel and makes me want to binge-watch Demon Slayer in my comfort space. I always say the production really makes the song, and they do not disappoint.
Pictures credited in order: Chuck Rare, Natra Average, ARC, Natra Average
The album stands out to me for so many reasons, the main one being that I’ve witnessed everything he’s gone through over the last few years while working on it and before it was made. What started as my genuine admiration for EARTHGANG slowly evolved into a newfound friendship with one of the coolest people on the planet. The way he looks at music has been an eye-opener and is something I appreciate about him the most.
When he came to me a few years ago about the album's name, I remember him specifically telling me to keep this message bookmarked for the future and to revisit that time to appreciate how time has transpired and inspired him throughout this process. What also stood out to me was how he kept us, the WOOF PACK, in the loop of every update that came along with releasing the album, and with the album being made in the process. DocturDot kept fans included while working on this project by hosting many listening parties in states like Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Canada. He even went through with creating a Podcast dedicated to the album (Howl @ Da Moon Podcast via Twitch) while we waited.
His dedication to keeping us in the loop along the way is what makes this release even more special. The album’s cohesiveness is also what draws me to it. There were times when I would be driving around my small hometown and playing the first version of the album, and going bar for bar. The wait was long and crazy to say the least, but now that it is here and on streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and more to come, I couldn’t be prouder than I am now.
As a closer, please give DocturDot’s album “Howl at da Moon” a listen from start to finish. This is the first of many solo releases from DocturDot. It is also the first album to be released in his trilogy series, soon to come. It is long, but it is worth listening to this album for an hour and 2 minutes. You can be productive while doing so, and give DocturDot your honest thoughts on what you like or love the most about this album as a whole. We, as a collective, have to support more independent artists and be more appreciative because behind closed doors, there’s so much process that goes on with even dropping a single, let alone a full album.
“Avant Garde” at a Chris Patrick show in ATL
“Howl At The Moonlight” at Listening Party
“Uh Oh” at Listening Party
“Meow” w/ Benji. at Listening Party
“Keep It In Da Fam” at Listening Party