"Loners, stoners, an Elvis impersonator, and a bunch of other freaks." That statement serves as an accurate introduction to the strange world of Chicago's Animal City whose 'Party City' EP sees them offer up a set of rare tracks from various sessions they've recorded in their history (although at ten tracks long this should really be considered an album rather than an EP). Sleaze and slacker vibes ooze out of every pore of this weird and wonderful collection which really sets the tone with its opening line "Will you fuck me dressed like Elvis?".
Several styles are twisted into warped shapes with loose drumming, an often lazy drawl and scruffy guitar never being far away. We're given scuzzy alt-rock on 'Wookie Mike and Sarah' and 'Water Stain', deadbeat sounds on 'Don't Gotta Guitar', a delightfully sleepy, bluesy instrumental lullaby on 'Glad Bender' and sinister undertones on 'Bad For You'. This is a dark and surreal place to be, but there are plenty of flashes of light and plenty of interesting ideas and melodies. 'Party City' is often a murky record, but very intriguing with it.
To get the inside story of 'Party City', Animal City have had a chat with, er, themselves...
ANIMAL CITY Interviews ANIMAL CITY
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA -- I walk out of my apartment and blindfold myself. I bend forward, put my head down, and spin around a baseball bat ten times really fast. So fast I’m sick. I take my blindfold off and walk back inside my apartment. There he is, on my couch in the living room, drinking one of my beers, co-founder of the traveling rock-n-roll outfit Animal City. His name is Salvatore “Chico” Cassato, and he’s smoking a cigarette I gave him mere minutes earlier. He’s who I’m here at my house to interview today, and he’s pointing an Airsoft gun in my general direction.
Salvatore: Shoot.
Dakota: Have you ever interviewed someone in your own band before?
S: No. But I guess I interview you a little bit every day. Writing songs with someone usually uncovers some funny stuff.
D: Well, I’m always asking you stupid shit.
S: And that’s great. It’s amazing how you can know someone for so long and still be getting to know them... Alright, ask me a question.
D: What are you doing here?
S: (Dustin Hoffman impression) I’m working here!
D: I think he says, “I’m walking here!”
S: In Drugstore Cowboy?
D: No, I meant what are you doing in LA?
S: We just shot a video for Animal City directed by our pal Josh Jolcover. It’s for the song “Friend in Florida” off our last LP Bump Head Go Home out on Sophomore Lounge Records. The two of us are about to do a quick tour up the coast in February, we’re making our way up to Oregon.
D: Yeah, we’re recording up in Portland with our homies Milk and Dust and the Making New Enemies crew.
S: That’s really exciting. Run me down the list, what else are we supposed to talk about?
D: The new EP that’s coming out, Party City.
S: Oh yeah, tell me about the Party City EP.
D: Party City is a collection of weirdos and orphan tracks from a bunch of different Animal City recordings we did over the years. They’re songs that didn’t make it onto any of our records, but they’re just too good to get rid of. We’re really stoked that these songs we love finally have a place to live. So this EP is really special to us.
S: Dude, I’ve thrown away so many songs. It’s crazy.
D: It happens.
S: Yeah, to me... a lot. So tell us how we get a copy of the Party City?
D: You buy it, at ANIMALCITY.BANDCAMP.COM, or you buy a CD or digital download from us in person at one of our shows.
S: You bet your ass we do.
Animal City's website
Buy: 'Party City'.
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