Scottish heavy-rock trio, Hair of the Dog, return with their poignantly apt new record "It's Just a Ride", their fourth studio album on Kozmik Artifactz. The band reunited with recording engineer Graeme Young, owner of Edinburgh's' Chamber Studios. However, the record is a return to the bands DIY roots, having produced, mixed, mastered (vinyl master by Tony Reed, Mos Generator) and created the artwork and music video for title track "It's Just a Ride" by themselves - an approach taken on their self-titled debut. Lending it's title from the infamous Bill Hicks routine, It's Just a Ride positions the magnifying glass firmly over the current state of our world and existence; commenting both on human nature, as well as the overall human condition. In his routine Hicks reassures his audience "don't worry, don't be afraid....ever...cos' this is just a ride". This is a mantra the trio have shared throughout their friendship, a friendship that spans two decades - 15 years of which have been spent making music together. The record itself was finished in the summer of 2019, months before the first case of Coronavirus was diagnosed. With a release date of April 3rd, inconveniently now set in the epicentre of a global pandemic, the record and its themes have unintentionally elevated in its relevancy and need. These are uncertain times, but it is in times like these that the best of humanity shines through the darkness. Life is uncertain, there will be ups and there will be downs. Don't worry, don't be afraid.....ever....cos this is just a ride.