A Conversation with Post Animal

Chicago-based psych rock outfit Post Animal, comprised of Dalton Allison, Javi Reyes, Jake Hirshland, Matt Williams and Wesley Toledo, have had a crazy 2017. After a five-show stint at South by Southwest 2017 and an opening slot with Twin Peaks in April and May, Post Animal have played a total of 73 shows this year.

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They stopped to chat with EMMIE writer and photographer Morgan Winston ahead of their Madison, Wisconsin show at The Frequency, the final stop on their headlining “Go on the Wrong” tour (our photos from the night are available for viewing below). We talked about their non-musical influences, love for Coors and what they have planned next, including hopes to release their second full-length in early 2018.

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EMMIE (Morgan Winston): Who or what are your non-musical influences?

Matt: Taco Bell.

Javi: When I was a kid I sang a lot about my dog, and I think dogs are an influence for sure.

Wes: We like pets.

Jake: Space!

Wes: We like space.

Jake: Outer space.

Dalton: Space, yeah. Nature. Flowers.

Jake: Being alone, like knowing you can sing and talk out loud and just do what you want.

Javi: Weed…

Wes: [The comedians] Tim and Eric. [They don’t] influence the music, [they influence] me and my life.

What influences your stage presence?

Javi: Twin Peaks. Cadien, Lake, James.

Matt: Cadien, Lake, Jack, Henry, James.

Javi: The whole freaking thing.

Jake: Freddie Mercury.

Wes: Dave Grohl, kind of. I just thought about that Queen of the Stone Age video, Dave Grohl is sick in that video.

How would you describe your music to someone who couldn’t hear it?

Matt: Stay away, far away.

Dalton: It sounds yellow and purple.

Matt: Purple muck river of sound.

Javi: I think if you learn about typical songwriting, like part A, part B, part A, part B, part C (like a bridge) and then another chorus and then it’s over, totally not like that at all. It changes all the time. It changes tempos, keys and it’s rock, it’s loud.

Matt: It’s like trying to break into a secret vault that has a laser security system and you have to dance your way around that.

Wes: Catherine Zeta Jones dipping beneath the lasers.

Matt: “Ocean’s Twelve” style.

Javi: McDonald’s.

Wes: We don’t have any answers, Morgan.

Dalton: It sounds like a cloud inside of a tree.

Wes: Forget everything we just said, it sounds like that.

Pick three words you would use to describe your tour.

Javi: Tender, love and care, baby. That’s what we had to give each other in order to not kill each other.

Matt: Shot to hell.

Jake: The new threat.

Javi: Burnt to crisp.

Jake: Shield and shotgun.

Javi: Wrong but right.

What did you listen to on the road?

Matt: A lot of podcasts.

Jake: Music and podcasts.

Matt: I personally put on a lot of Andy Shauf.

Javi: Blonde by Frank Ocean.

Wes: DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar. Those are three of the most played I think.

Matt: We started getting a little weirder these past few days.

Javi: Almost music for humorous reasons.

Matt: Putting like hardcore emo music on and trying to see what’s up with that.

Jake: Checking stuff out.

Wes: You just have a lot of time so it’s a good chance.

Jake: A lot of bands that we play with will give us CDs and we’ll listen to those.

Javi: We’ll at least try it out, because when you’re surprised by that it’s so fun, more satisfying than listening to a hyped band.

Jake: We played with this one band in Dallas called Pearl Earl and they have a really great CD that we’ve been playing. The Darlings, we played with them in Seattle and they have a great CD. And Shasta Ray, our friends from North Carolina. Those are our favorite three CDs that we were given.

Matt: Yeah Shasta Ray was flipping sweet. It’s like the Nude Party and a couple other bands.

Now that tour is over, what’s next? Can you tell us anything about album two?

Dalton: We’re all cooling off for at least a couple months. We have one show at the end of September in Lincoln, Nebraska and Lincoln Calling. That’ll be cool. Other than that we’re just working out the details for the album. It should be out early next year, but it’s not set in stone. We’re getting pretty close.

Wes: We want to put it out through a label. We are close to maybe securing a label and hopefully putting it out through that.

Javi: So album out early next year and touring early next year.

You have 15 seconds to draw someone else in the band. Go.

Finally, can you give a favorite cheap beer recommendation for all the students at Madison?

Javi: Red Dog! No, I’m just kidding. That’s like a Madison-y thing, right? It’s like dirt cheap, the cheapest beer I’ve ever had. Tecate, I would say. Modelo and Tecate, we drink a lot of that.

Matt: Bullet. What’s that one from that brewing company?

Jake: Moon Man, but that’s only cheap at the Vintage. Otherwise it’s a craft beer.

Javi: Lots of Coors. We can all agree on Coors.

Matt: So if you can get into Vintage legally, or…

Jake: Otherwise just drink a Silver Bullet, man.

Matt: Ice cold. *kisses air*

Matt: I say Coors all the way. Stay away from Bud, Bud doesn’t need to be touched.