Animal Panic
Everybody stay calm! Then go nuts, because Animal Panic has arrived. The indie punk trio is a veritable mélange of hard-hitting genres. Punk, grunge, and a hefty dose of indie rock burst from the Chicago-native band.
Animal Panic's first meeting was an impromptu jam session at DePaul University. Lead vocalist and guitarist Ben Fister was locked out of the dorm, and Michael Sullivan (drums) let him in. Ben spotted Michael's guitar, and the two planned a jam. The band formed around that original meet-up, soon growing to include bassist Jack Sullivan, Michael's younger brother."
"Burn," the band's newest single, glows like an ember at first, offering a soft guitar riff over a punchy bass line. The tune then ignites into an ethereal and pining sound that'd fit perfectly on a 90s grunge album.
That's no accident. Among Animal Panic's influences are Nirvana, The Strokes, The Beatles, and Rush.
The trio draws from a wide variety of styles, funneling their favorite sounds into their
own creative vision.
Nowhere is this medley of influences more apparent than the band's "Moonlight Drive," which features a bouncy descant above a pulsing melody below. Fister's voice opens a call-and-response section before the track gives way to a somewhat spooky and haunting chorus.
"Cocaine Honeymoon," meanwhile, feels right at home in the punk genre. Fister's storytelling lays over a driving and danceable interplay between the guitar and bass, all propelled by Sullivan's electric percussion.
Now on the Oakley Avenue Record label, Animal Panic aims to bring their unique combination of sounds to new Chicago listeners.
Stream Animal Panic on Spotify and listen to their new single “Live, Laugh, Loathe.”
Written by Cole Rush