Post-Post Animal

A few weeks ago, I was at Lollapalooza. This year’s lineup was incredible, and honestly, I had the best four days of my life. The days following… not so much. However! Thanks to Lollapalooza, I discovered a band that has very quickly climbed to the top of my favorites list: Post Animal. To all of you who are big Djo fans, this band is for you because Joe Keery is in it (at least sometimes). I went to Djo’s Lolla aftershow at the Salt Shed, and Post Animal opened for him. I’d known about their existence (thanks to my mom, who introduces me to at least half the music I listen to), but I purposely held off on listening until I saw them live. That’s my favorite way to discover new music. And to be honest, I think I enjoyed Post Animal’s performance even more than Djo’s. And I’m a pretty big Djo fangirl.

The band consists of Dalton Allison, Javi Reyes, Wesley Toledo, Matt Williams, and Joe Keery. Joe stepped away from the band for a while to focus on his acting career and solo music, but he’s back in action with these guys on their newest album, Iron. We’ll get into that masterpiece later.

Post Animal started in Chicago in 2014, which makes me love them even more. Chicago is where my love for music began, so I always hold artists from the city close to my heart. And Post Animal might just be one of my favorite bands that Chicago has given the world.

At the show a few weeks ago, I liked them the moment they started playing, but it wasn’t until they played the song Ralphie that I knew I really loved them. If you haven’t heard it yet, stop reading this right now, pull out your phone, and listen to Ralphie. It’s so much fun. When they started playing the opening guitar riff, the entire crowd went crazy. It’s the kind of song that makes you start jumping and not want to stop until the very end. The main chorus is what really gets me, something about the high notes adds so much emotion and catchiness to the melody. This song is easily one of my favorites of theirs.

Now, onto their album Iron, which was released this July. This. Album. Is. So. Good. The opening track, Malcom’s Cooking, does a great job of setting the mood for the entire album. It’s a wordless song with a beautiful guitar piece layered with synths and nature ambience. At the end, you hear the guys saying “cheers” and laughing together, which reminds us that at the core, this is just a group of friends making music they love. It instantly allows listeners to understand the band’s dynamic and sets us up perfectly for the rest of the album.

I could talk about every track on this album individually, but if I did, you’d be reading a 10-page essay and my homework sitting open in the other tab right now would never get finished. So instead, I’ll focus on my favorites.

Last Goodbye is the second track on the album. It’s one of the softer tracks, but still unbelievably catchy and danceable. This song explores the struggles of knowing something is about to end. We can assume it’s about a relationship ending through lyrics like: “feeling like it’s feeling like the last time / last goodbye / and it don’t feel right.” It’s something everyone can relate to, whether it’s a friendship or a romantic relationship, we’ve all had to say goodbye. It’s a scary, sad experience, and this song captures that feeling so well.

My second favorite song on the album is Maybe You Have To. As the third track, it transitions beautifully after Last Goodbye, since it deals with having to let go. It opens with a really emotional phone call from someone’s loved one, sounding distraught and worried. This sets the theme of grief before the song even begins. What follows is a slow, synth-driven melody that feels nostalgic and heavy with emotion. The song has these little breaks that are almost conversational. My favorite part is the second of these breaks: “Hey you never told me what it feels like / guess it’s like that / I never walked myself down that track / is it a scene that fades out to black?” It emphasizes how loss sneaks up on you, and there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s such a deep, creative song, and my words don’t do it justice, I highly recommend listening to it.

The last song I’ll highlight is Pie in the Sky, which is my favorite on the album. The song opens with a super solid and clean guitar riff. I’ve had this riff stuck in my head for about 75% of the past two weeks. As I said earlier, these guys know how to write a catchy song, it doesn’t leave your head once you’ve heard it. The vocal styles switch up throughout this song, in ways they haven’t done before and it makes it feel almost as if there’s different characters singing the song. To top it off, it’s a happy love song! It’s all about having someone in your life who feels like your sun. It’s sweet, it’s catchy, and it’s just so good. I always gravitate towards the upbeat, happy song on an album, and this song is just that. 

I’m so grateful I went to Djo’s aftershow at Lolla. I nearly skipped it because I was so exhausted, but thanks to Post Animal, I was able to wake up and enjoy one of my favorite shows I’ve ever been to. I can’t wait to keep following these guys and seeing what else they create. I’ll be seeing them again for their headlining show in St. Louis this November, and I already know it’s going to be amazing. If you ever take my advice, take it now: listen to Post Animal.