Social Animals’ self-titled debut album is a work of broken beauty, an elegant expression of chaotic emotion. With their graceful collision of jittery rhythms, moody synth tones, and luminous guitar lines, the Duluth, Minnesota-bred band matches their finespun melodies with idiosyncratic turns of phrase, crafting each lyric with a precision of detail that makes every moment feel almost painfully real.
Not long after getting together, Social Animals began playing nearly 200 self-booked shows a year. “We had no direction whatsoever,” says Clark. “We just wanted to play music all the time and have fun doing it, which meant that the first four years of the band we were mostly just playing for drinks.” As they steadily earned attention for their impassioned live performance, Social Animals eventually landed a spot on the Rise Records band roster. Their debut album was released in the summer of 2022 and has quickly become a fan favorite and hidden gem of the alternative rock scene.
Now, in 2024, the band is set to release the first tracks for their sophomore effort. Their first track, “Way Off Here” is a callback to the moody pop of the 1980s.
