If Post Animal‘s When I Think Of You In A Castle had a theme, it would be chaos. The songs constantly shift through motifs and subgenres but in the best possible way. There are six* musicians throwing their hats into the ring and their collaboration takes on so many amalgamations it’s hard to keep the train on track. The album covers everything from psych and ambient to a touch of southern rock on “Susie“. This first project via Polyvinyl is a fusion of madmen’s genius that is sure to please all the kiddies no matter what genre they claim to worship.

A perfect example of what I’m talking about are songs like “Gelatin Mode” which begins with a heart attack inducing drums and transitioning to an explosion of dueling guitars. Then, Toledo’s drums switch it up to create a sway-worthy rhythm. From there the band goes into a full psychotic frenzy just to drop it back down to a slower tempo during the versus. Then, smack in the middle we’re propelled into a spacey, Tame Impala-esque void which, almost too quickly, we’re ripped back out of. This song reminds me of a long, exciting water slide. And that’s only track two!

“Victory Lap/ Danger Zone” and “Dirtpicker” are two other examples of the fantastical musical whiplash that Post Animal takes us on. “Victory Lap/ Danger Zone” is a perfect example where at first we’re taken down a heavy, heavy psyche road that builds until the boys are sonically bashing our ears drums with baseball bats and then it turns into a palatial, airy ballad. DEAR GOD THE SHEAR duality of this album is enough to lure in any unsuspecting human!

Tracks like “Tire Eyes” and “Ralphie” lend themselves to a retro air. This is definitely where the band is busting their pop song chaps. Here we are reminded of bands like Boston, Thin Lizzy, and Foghat.

When I Think Of You In A Castle was a long time coming for the band. Almost two years ago the entire band, including Joe keery who is no longer a touring member but still contributing to the ensemble, stayed at a lake house where they recorded the majority of the album. It wasn’t until much later when they were signed to Polyvinyl that this project would become a reality. Dalton Allison did the final mixing of the piece and Hirshfield’s brother Jared mastered it. I interviewed them back in the fall of 2016 when they had just made the trek to PAW PAW lake in Michigan to record this album. The album was supposedly, suppose to be called The Gators Are Back in 3D, but it seems that idea was thrown out. The band also share with me a few creepy stories of an old man who haunts the lake house where they recorded so it’s no surprise there are off supernatural vibes on the album.

Post Animal are currently headlining a grueling 48 city tour. As someone who has seen the band multiple times in different types of atmospheres and venues I can say that every show is a heart punching, enthralling ride that ends far too soon. Be sure to see them and pick their album up via Polyvinyl on 4/20!

* Dalton Allison: guitar, vocals, Jake Hirshland: keys, bass, vocals, Matt Williams: guitar, vocals, Joe Keery: guitar, vocals, Javier Reyes: guitar, Wesley Toledo: drums, vocals.

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Riding under the 606, I pass through a graffiti underpass and pull up to a house on the border of Logan Square and Humboldt Park. The gentlemen from Post Animal have invited me over so we can chat about their upcoming album and what the band has been experiencing lately with their burst of popularity.

Once inside I notice the place is very clean and Jake Hirshland is making deviled eggs in the kitchen. “They’re my Grandma Barbs recipe,” I’m offered one and it’s delicious. Seems like Jake has multiple talents.

Once we get everyone gathered in the living room (which is no easy feat with six band mates, and we’re still missing Joe Keery, who’s filming the second season of Stranger Things), along with house pup Reggie, we start talking about their experience of recording in Paw Paw Lake in Michigan. It’s revealed through the conversation that everything in the band is very collaborative. No one person is in charge of producing. I ask if the recording process proves to be difficult, with this many people in the band. “If like three people are around, you’re kind of like hey, want to record today,” Matt Williams says.

“The process for Paw Paw was so much faster because we had all of us in one place for the period of time, we didn’t have to schedule things, it just all happened in a few days,” says Jake.

I’m curious then if the whole thing is finished, Matt adds that they had actually recorded some vocals that day. I ask more about the production process, how they go about it, and where it happens. They actually just record everything on a computer and do all the production on the computer. Their sound has a polished, professional sound so I’m impressed. We talk about labels; they’re not on one yet but of course, want to be. I suggest Dumpster Tapes, a local project in the city that releases, you guessed it, tapes. I tell them Cafe Racer has released on that label and Jake and I start exchanging names of people we know in the band. “I actually really like that band,” says Jake.

Lyrics are the next topic we delve into, it’s revealed that Joe is actually a bit of a narrative story teller “Lonely Jones” is actually about his time in Atlanta, and Matt actually wrote “Caught in The Trap” which is about love. The album is due out in February and they want to start touring by April. I ask the band how one goes about setting up a tour and there’s a collective laugh. “We’re trying to figure that out, we’ll let you know,” says Jake.

Javi Reyes actually has some previous experience in this arena through touring with his old band. “You use your connections or you go onto other bands bandcamp and see what places they tagged and reach out to those places.” The band has gained a lot of popularity over the summer. They also have a notable presence in the DIY scene; I ask if they are ready for the next level, and do they want to move onto venues like the Hideout and Schubas. “We’ll always play house parties, they are so much fun,” says Jake.

Toward the end of the interview, we passed around some red wine and looked over photos they took while at the lake house in Michigan. We’re discussing bands we love and the ones that influence them as musicians. “Steely Dan ‘Aja’ was just so fucking important to me as a drummer,” adds Wes Toledo. It’s agreed that everyone in the band loves Black Sabbath and I randomly throw in Ty Segall and another collective agreement is made.

The photos from the lake house are so perfectly retro; it’s like something out of my parent’s college days. Each of them also has a freaky little story about the old man who haunts the lake house; Jake claims he was actually almost pulled out of bed by the old man.

Post Animal were extremely gracious hosts, fantastic conversationalists, and intelligent young men. Their album, The Gators Are Back in 3D is due out in February. For now, you can listen to their discography via their Bandcamp website and catch them at their next show with The Walters at Lincoln Hall on November 26^th.

photos by Kris Lori Fuentes Cortes

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