The group can be found in Dallas venues such as Trees, confined to jam in their respective bubbles, but they still attract crowds with their fiery performances and undeniable onstage chemistry.
It only makes sense that the band members would be close-knit; most of them have known each other since puberty. Bassist/clean vocalist Colby Hughes, guitarist Tim Ly and lead guitarist/unclean vocalist Jonny Walden have all played together since the sixth grade, selling out birthday parties and middle school lock-ins. A few years later, Ly and Walden were in a band called To Ancient Times with Carlin Fuller rounding out the guitar section. For one show, Walden played with another band named Visions, which included lead vocalist Nathan Denson and drummer Jesse Hildebrand.
While Walden describes it as “scouting out the other band,” Ly is quick to correct him, claiming that “it was more like he was poaching the other band.” Soon after, the two groups merged and gelled into AnimalJam, with ex-Visions member Austin Cervantes joining as manager.
The progressive post-hardcore group came out on full blast from the first song of its 2018 self-titled EP. “Sertraline” opens with a short guitar intro and drum lead-in before Denson sends us into the thick of it with his strong vocals, cutting over the stabbing, chaotic guitars, with Hildebrand’s tight drumming speeding everything along. Without warning, Walden crashes in with a screaming bridge, brandishing phrases like “A misanthrope in misery” and words such as “insipidly” and “enmity,” not the kind of lyrics to which you'd normally scream along.
There’s something shockingly elegant about someone violently screaming out SAT words, and it’s perfectly characterized and complemented by the math-rock riffs flowing endlessly underneath. The guitars from the track's beginning return near its end before building into an unexpected but extremely satisfying rock-out section with both Denson and Walden’s intermingling vocals that become the highlight of the song.
Being unpredictable is one of AnimalJam’s specialties. From Hughes’ bass takeover in "Feelosophizin" to the euphoric transition on "Desolation," they’re all about keeping the listener guessing. It’s something that they’re proud of. Their diverse song structures only add to the replay value of their tunes.
“Just trying to keep everybody on their toes,” Hildebrand says.
Rise Records had recently taken to Twitter in search of the next addition to its roster. Although AnimalJam feels like a shoo-in among the label’s current swancore staples Eidola, Royal Coda and Dance Gavin Dance, the band has different plans for the future.
“It's more of a hobby first, but we're very grateful for everyone that listens.” – AnimalJam's Jesse Hildebrand
tweet this
“We're all different ages with different stuff going on, so it's nice to be able to pick it up and leave it dormant,” says Denson, the band's eldest member.
The band's youngster, Hildebrand, adds, “It's more of a hobby first, but we're very grateful for everyone that listens.”
The rest of them nod in agreement.
You might think that working in a creative space with six different chefs crowding the kitchen could be difficult, but Hughes says the biggest challenge is “stage room.”
The songwriting is mainly led by Walden, but every member is fairly involved in the process, and there isn’t too much head-butting.
“We're all really good at give and take,” Denson says.
Walden agrees. “If someone's really passionate about one thing, we'll find a way to work with it,” he says.
On the Demo Team podcast, Ly recently said that, “One of the cool things about having so many members is we all have our strengths and weaknesses, we kinda fit together like a puzzle piece.” Austin added, “This whole band is just a big engine, none of us are gonna be operating unless we’re all together.”
A key quality of AnimalJam is that each member stands individually as a songsmith. The musicians have a penchant for putting out songs that take time building up to the climax, with lots of scenic detours along the way. Falling just a second shy of 5 minutes long, “Terrorantula” has one of the band’s catchiest choruses, but they don’t cling to that as a crutch and run it back repeatedly; instead, they throw in a bass-led laid-back section and build up to the chorus — where Denson takes center stage to serenade that special someone. They follow it up with a blast beat and a jam-out section for good measure before coming back to that sweet, sweet chorus and finishing the song out.
Last month, the band celebrated its debut EP’s fifth anniversary and released a Redux version with all-new mixings done by Matt Goings. Hopefully this won’t have to hold fans over for too long. Hildebrand recently posted on Instagram hinting that the band was in the process of making another album. They’ve also been playing new music at their live shows, so new AnimalJam might hit the market sooner than expected.
Their newest single, "Anhedonia," is another example of their ingenuity and shows the band's progression since their debut. Clocking in at 6 minutes and 21 seconds, this musical journey begins with the guitars fading into existence with harmonious riffs. Fuller, Ly and Walden’s chemistry is evident here, and no part outweighs the another. A few power chords and tasty transition fills courtesy of Hildebrand later, and we’re into the meat of the song with aggressive guitar lines and an equally propulsive showing from Denson driving the tune forward.
But of course, that isn’t all — that wouldn’t be the AnimalJam way — the song soon opens up for one of Walden’s killer guitar solos.
While performing live, Hildebrand's fingers flow up and down the fretboard in a mesmerizing flaunting of musicianship, taking the last phrase of his solo into the bread and butter of his next riff. And in true AnimalJam fashion, the group ends in a breakdown section with Walden screaming out words you'd have to Google to understand.
