Animal Skins

http://animalskins.bandcamp.com/

I thought about writing the next gig review, actually a festival report from Fluff, but pondered that maybe it is better not to slam you all with yet another wall of text and add some interesting tunes in between to spice it all up. Plus, I am really infatuated by everything that I experienced on the said festival, so I really want to be in an inspired mood while writing about it. But enough about that, time for you to be introduced to an exquisite band.

"Animal Skins" is a quintet from Boise, Idaho, and that is probably the most information you are going to dig up about the band on first glance on the web. Thus far, the five piece has released two extended plays, the first one coming out on 25 January 2011. Named "A EP", the release brought five songs with sixteen something minutes of very interesting tunes. Just to note, despite their bandcamp page showing only four songs, five tracks are available once downloaded. Anyways, the thing you get to hear is a noise spiced mid tempo hardcore mixed with some psychedelic bits and pieces. Sounds weird and maybe randomly put together, but the thing that matters is that "A EP" is an extremely entertaining release and it provided much enjoyment for yours truly. While you listen to the songs, you get this interesting feeling as if sitting on needles, since the tunes hover in mid tempo, as mentioned before, yet at times start reaching toward a more faster speed though never getting too pissed off and wild. Basically you feel as though everything is about to go insane, but it never does, this really mustering a lot of tension while listening and it was exceptionally cool. Having two guitars in the band, most of the times one provides repetitive, but extremely catchy riffs, while the other is responsible for some noisy creations. The listener is constantly thrown between the two, with drums and bass providing just ambient support. Other times however, all instruments blend really well together and form just a massive noise amalgam and you just sense the beating upon your ears. The vocal performance is a complete contrast to the rest of the band, since it is just a constant raspy scream with almost no change in sound.  This is not a flaw however, since it creates the whirlwind effect, as if the vocal is just the only solid thing while the rest of the happenings are pure chaos and constant change. Rare are bands that manage to pull this off effectively and luckily "Animal Skins" jumps in that boat.
Following "A EP", July 2011 saw the release of "B EP" and a lot of changes for the band came in its wake. This time we are faced with four songs grasping us for almost twenty minutes and immediately we notice a drastic shift in their performance. First of all, the instruments became much more crunchy and noisy, which I love so much. Not only did the overall sound started being quite deeper, but the bass and drums don't provide just background tones anymore, this time I feel that they are also thrown into the spotlight on equal terms as the rest. The second thing almost instantly poking your ears is the change of style "Animal Skins" took. No longer slow going and psychedelic, now they carry a gloomy noise imbued hardcore. It was absolutely stunning listening to both releases in a row, expecting something similar and akin to the first one, yet being just completely slammed to the ground and beaten up by fast riffs filled with dread and sluggish behemoths waiting around the corner. The change in style took me by so much surprise that "B EP" just flew by me and left me pondering what the fuck just happened to my speakers.
The ultimate thing about "Animal Skins" is actually the fact that both of their releases are standing shoulder to shoulder with one another, both providing something highly interesting in their own way and right. Their evolution is really a sight to behold and I sincerely hope they won't stop with "B EP", since they certainly show what they are capable of as musicians and should definitely continue exploring their abilities. I honestly urge everyone to give them a try, listening to both of their records in one breath. You can get in touch with the band members over on their facebook page here. Enjoy!