Chicago-based band takes a psychedelic look into love and its troubles
Post Animal is an established name in the indie rock genre. Formed in 2014, they combined the common tropes of indie rock with notes of psychedelic rock-pop to create a refreshing and ear-catching sound. Their newest record, Love Gibberish, comes in as the band’s fourth album release.
They once again bring their signature sound with a Shoegaze-like atmosphere sprinkled throughout the run time. This signature tone began within their first EP, Post Animal Performs the Most Curious Water Activities.
Songs like “Airblaster” preview what their future releases would sound like. After a couple of years, they would come out with their first full-length album, When I Think of You In a Castle. NME writer Rhian Daly said the album was a “glorious trip.” They would continue to release music to much critical acclaim throughout the late 2010s into the early 2020s. Love Gibberish is a short album, clocking in at ~39 minutes. However, Post Animal makes the most of it by packing every second with catchy guitars, clean vocals and a trippy atmosphere.
The album starts with the existential yet glamorous “Bolt from Above.” The groovy bassline and upbeat vibe drown out the somewhat depressing lyrics. On the second track, “Love is Trouble,” the rock-like guitar intro sounds like it came out of a Meat Loaf song. A personal favorite lyric is “In your hands, a second turns into something more.” Although the third track, “No More Sports,” was released as a single, it fits right into the tracklist of Love Gibberish. This is an anti-catcalling anthem that’s disguised as a catchy, psychedelic pop song.
The album continues with the spacious, “When You Walk Towards Me.” This Tame-Impala-like pop tune talks about how lovers may sometimes disagree and fight, but it is better than not being together. Another personal favorite lyric is, “I’d trade a busy day for one more minute spent being bothered by you.” The following three songs, “Megaphone,” “Puppy Dog” and “Cancer Moon,” all carry that glossy, psychedelic tone with deep lyrics about love.
The album finishes with the angelic “Infinite Zone” and “Don’t Go That Way.” Both songs are fitting ends to such a jam-packed album.
Love Gibberish is one of those albums that has its biggest strength be its biggest downfall. The love theme, while allowing the songs to have a deeper meaning, got old after the first four tracks. The psychedelic atmosphere while anchoring the album’s sound, got redundant very quickly.
Post Animal needed to make a grand, raw, and fresh take on their formula to catapult them back into the mainstream. And Love Gibberish had none of these attributes.
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