Animal Collective are coming back later this month with a new EP dubbed The Painters. To celebrate they’ve shared the first taste of the four-track effort “Kinda Bonkers.”
“Bonkers” is the Goldilocks Zone of AnCo: just weird enough to be interesting, but not so weird that they forget to make a compelling song with a bit of structure. The buzzing and humming song rides a bhangra-based groove — probably the first time that you can say Selena Gomez beat Animal Collective to some new sound — while the band sings about worldwide unity. That’s not exactly urging people to go out and join the resistance, but we can’t help but view it in light of an ultra-political year from the indie oddballs. They spent a good chunk of last year pushing against regressive laws like North Carolina’s HB2 and warning against third-party voting and the dangers of Donald Trump. Through that prism, even a relatively benign message of peace seems like a statement. Give it a listen up top.
In addition to “Bonkers”, the new EP will contain two new tracks and a cover of Martha and the Vandellas’ “Jimmy Mack.” Check out the full tracklist below.
1. “Kinda Bonkers”
2. “Peacemaker”
3. “Goalkeeper”
4. “Jimmy Mack”
The Painters is February 17 via Domino.
