Chicago neo-psych rock band Post Animal released their self-produced, written and performed debut album When I Think Of You In A Castle earlier this Spring on Polyvinyl, and have been on the road touring the record ever since, including a wild performance at Bonnaroo last weekend and their upcoming set at Lollapalooza. In advance of their show in Los Angeles tonight at Bootleg Theater, Post Animal share the hilariously cinematic video for ‘Tire Eyes,’ featuring the band lifting ancient spirits from abandoned stuffed animals, giving them new life. Check out the video below.
The product of six friends exploring their affinity for slick riffs, pop hooks, and psychedelic flourishes, When I Think Of You In A Castle is a record that almost didn’t get made. “Before this album, we weren’t sure what the future of the band was going to look like. I was considering moving to Los Angeles and Joe [Keery] was off filming Stranger Things. We didn’t know where we were all going but we knew we wanted to make an album with all of us in the same room,” explains drummer Wesley Toledo. When the band – comprised of friends from childhood, the local music scene, and hometown burger joints – found the time to go to a lake house in Michigan to record, magic happened and When I Think Of You In A Castle was born.
Post Animal have made a name for themselves as one of Chicago’s most exciting up-and-coming bands, having toured with the likes of Twin Peaks, Wavves, and White Reaper.
Post Animal are a band of brothers. Though they formed in 2014 and just began touring in 2017, they are joined in a bond much tighter than their years suggest. Initially formed when childhood friends, bassist Dalton Allison and guitarist Matt Williams, met keyboardist and guitarist Jake Hirshland, the band’s sound began to take shape when the three enlisted some more pals from both the Chicago music scene and through their time working at local burger restaurants. Rounding out the band’s lineup, Post Animal is completed by drummer Wesley Toledo and guitarists Javi Reyes and Joe Keery.
In the summer of 2016, the band retreated to a lake house in Watervliet, Michigan to record When I Think Of You In A Castle for a week and a half. Following the lake house trip, the band finished the album at their house in Chicago with Allison perfecting the mix over the next year; even while on their 48-city summer tour in their beloved van (RIP Shannon). The finished album, which was mastered by Jake’s brother, Jared Hirshland, is a testament to not only the brotherly connection that these friends share, but also to the power of collaboration between like-minded musicians who just get one another. “Before we recorded it, it was an uncertain time for us as a band, but we all just had a magical time at this lake house in the middle of summer,” explains Toledo. Almost impossible to describe, the Post Animal bond is best observed while foolin’ at the merch table after a sweaty show. They look forward to seeing you there and, naturally, becoming your new best friends.
Early praise for Post Animal:
“This Chicago six-piece plays heavy, proggy psychedelic rock with just the right amount of power-pop sugar to sweeten the mix…impressive skill for crafting memorable melodic baubles.” – Pitchfork
“A bright and punchy bit of psych-pop, ‘Ralphie”’is a promising initial preview of the album, moving effortlessly through a series of effervescent passages full of sugary hooks and guitar breaks.” – Stereogum
“happily fell into this Post Animal psych rock hole while stalking and found it to be really, really great.” – i-D
“While the band is currently getting a boost of notoriety due to Joe’s recent acting success, we point them out not as some kind of novelty: they’re actually good..weird and ear-wormy at the same time, druggy and carefully wrought psych-pop that sounds like it should have pretty broad appeal.” – Brooklyn Vegan
“[on ‘Gelatin Mode’], Post Animal’s psych-pop gets drenched in sludge thanks to shredding riffs and sudden shifts in tempo. – Consequence of Sound
“This Chicago band’s debut album is a promising set of prog-tinged psych-rock ranging from sunny, hook-filled psych-pop to shape-shifting stoner-rock jams.” – KEXP
“sweet Tame Impala–esque psychedelic rock tunes…Head on over to their Bandcamp to listen to their earworm-y [music]” – New York Magazine’s Vulture
“Post Animal is for real” – Paste
