Single Review: Living The Good Life With Post Animal

Chicago psychedelic progressive rock band Post Animal dropped "What's A Good Life" on June 26. This single marks the third release from their upcoming new album, IRON, which is set to arrive on July 25. The track is a triumphant and bittersweet examination of the human condition. Many ponder what it means to live a fulfilling life, and Post Animal approaches this topic with a vulnerability and strength that feels like a comforting embrace. This era follows nearly a decade after all six original members–Dalton Allison, Jake Hirshland, Javi Reyes, Wesley Toledo, Matt Williams, and Joe Keery–worked together on music for the band.

Nostalgic melodies and a soft, lower vocal register immediately strike the listener. Lyrics like "Just another year to hide behind / I was told in life / If you're not first, then you're out of sight / And I bought the lie a hundred times" explore what it feels like to let go of deeply ingrained feelings of self-doubt and years of conforming to societal expectations. Each line contemplates how to approach moving on while haunting and reverberant background vocals float by.

Post Animal implores listeners to identify "What's your favorite thing you've done?" Marking joy as a good place to start when it comes to deciphering what success looks like to you.

Director / DP: Pooneh Ghana. Featuring features the Omaha Hell Hounds, Nebraska’s premier armored combat team

The lyrical content also parallels previous narratives formed in the Djo-st Animal cinematic universe. Post Animal renounces the imposed picket fence fantasy, singing, "No more keeping up with the Joneses / Trimming hedges on the culdesac" and "Day after day keep showin' up." Perhaps those lyrics reference the song "Lonely Jones" off their 2016 EP The Garden Series, a Beatles-sounding track about a man shrouded in feelings of fear, defeat, and isolation. By deciding not to keep up with the Joneses anymore and taking advice to keep pushing through, Post Animal steps into a space of purpose and self-confidence. They simultaneously sonically break out of the culdesac by blending a smorgasbord of delectable sounds: hand drums straight out of Toto's "Africa," gongs, and bubbly synth piano.

This album marks the return of former bandmate Joe Keery, who originally departed to pursue acting projects and solo music under the moniker Djo. His vocals conquer a particularly emotional high point at the end of the song. In his solo work, Keery has a song called "Fool," where he vows to "be your fool." Muppet-eqsue backing vocals similar to the previous single, "Pie in the Sky," return, while Keery shouts, "For the first time in my life / It's fine that I'm not perfect / Nobody's fool." Declaring that he is 'Nobody's fool' in this final chorus is a powerful reclamation of independence and marks a step back into the front seat of one's life. The song ends on an unresolved chord, mirroring the fact that the pursuit of contentment is an ongoing practice.

Photo Credit: Sam Dole / Design Credit: Camilo Medina

Post Animal is currently on the road with Djo and will return for a five-piece headline tour this November, making a stop at Boston's The Sinclair on November 4. Buy tickets here.

TOUR DATES

November 1 - Detroit, MI - El Club

November 2 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison

November 4 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair

November 5- Hamden, CT - Space Ballroom

November 7 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg

November 8 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s

November 10 - Washington, DC - DC9 Nightclub

November 11 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle Back Room

November 13 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl

November 14 - Nashville, TN - Third Man Records (Blue Room)

November 15 - Saint Louis, MO - Off Broadway Nightclub

November 17 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon

November 18 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall

December 3 - Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck

December 5 - Dallas, TX - Dada

December 6 - Austin, TX - The Parish

December 9 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom

December 10 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent

December 12 - Portland, OR - Polaris Hall

December 13 - Seattle, WA - Neumos (Barboza)

December 15 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court

December 17 - Denver, Co - Bluebird Theater