Interview: Post Animal on their new album 'Iron'.

"This is an exploration of being alive and in this group of friends," says multi-instrumentalist Jake Hirshland of Post Animal's new album, 'Iron' - and all six original band members reuniting to record for the first time in nearly a decade.

Contemplating the complexities of change, Hirshland, alongside guitarists Javi Reyes and Matt Williams, bassist Dalton Allison, drummer Wesley Toledo, and the returned Joe Keery (who had previously left in 2018 to focus on acting), found themselves reinvigorated anew. Allison explains: "All of these creative forces coming together, it was like iron sharpening iron - when we’re in proximity with one another, we make each other better."

True to their friendship, Post Animal answered questions via email for Coup De Main together as a team, in celebration of releasing their 'Iron Expansion Pack' (including two new songs) this week...

COUP DE MAIN: The year is 516 AD and Post Animal are Knights of the Round Table. Please describe the mystical quest that King Arthur has just asked you all to go on together to save the kingdom...
POST ANIMAL - DALTON ALLISON, JAKE HIRSHLAND JAVI REYES, JOE KEERY, MATT WILLIAMS & WESLEY TOLEDO: The King’s Decree reads: The great city of Falimir was once the crown jewel of our ancient empire. It now lies in disarray. The recent death of the governor resulted in a power vacuum, and squabbling within the noble families now turns to the blade. Warlords in surrounding regions quickly caught wind of the unrest, and it won’t be long until one springs an attack. The king implores you to root out corruption within the city’s high council, and to fortify the city's defences against outside threats. Trust no one, tell no one of your true identity, or reason for visiting Falimir.

CDM: You ended your previous album, 'Love Gibberish', with the sentiment: "Close my eyes and a year goes by / Punish myself just for the experience / I had to miss my friends to realise / Life is not all that serious." How does it feel to look back on that song now?
POST ANIMAL: That song serves as a reminder to give yourself a break and to not be so hard on yourself. Surround yourself with the people you love, enjoy yourself, and pursue the things you want to pursue without punishing yourself if things don’t always shake out how you thought they would. The sentiment continues to ring true.

CDM: Thinking back on the band's life together thus far, what are your favourite memories of each other?
POST ANIMAL: Writing and recording 'Iron' together, especially the vocals. We were writing lyrics together, tweaking melodies, arranging harmonies and pushing each other to reach further in our takes, effortlessly taking turns in the “producer” role. Our collaborative intimacy was deeper than it had ever been and it was palpable. Trust, safety, and care a plenty!

CDM: What would your lives be like if you had never met each other?
POST ANIMAL: Not to avoid a direct answer, but it’s very difficult to imagine what life would be like if we’d never met. Some of us would probably be focused on the things we studied in school, maybe some still making music professionally, although I doubt anything that sounds like Post Animal. This band has been a dominant force in shaping how all of our lives look today. Wouldn’t want it any other way :)

CDM: In what ways do you think you have grown/changed personally since the band begun back in 2014?
POST ANIMAL: It has been a lot of years, so a lot has changed for all of us. We’ve certainly matured and found ways to focus our artistic efforts. We’ve also gotten better at communicating and listening, whether about the art we make, or our personal connections. In some ways, maturing has meant taking it a little easier on ourselves as well. Going where ideas take us and not fighting the current so much. We’re better at communicating with each other. We’re more open to each other's ideas. We’re more secure with our roles in the band. The trust has strengthened. We say "I love you" a lot more. We’re more grateful.

CDM: How did you celebrate the band's 10th birthday last year?
POST ANIMAL: I suppose our album artwork photo shoot was the 10th anniversary party. So in other words, we dressed as a band of knights, warriors, rangers, smiths, and jesters.

CDM: Where do you picture Post Animal in another ten years from now?
POST ANIMAL: Hopefully standing behind the door of our own trinket shop, in some tree-lined, mid-sized city with a comfortable climate. We bought the storefront outright, streams being good to us for those 10 years, and we open the shop doors whenever we please. Perhaps we take a group run or go for a dip in the morning before the shop opens. We close before dark, and leave plenty of time for a delicious meal.

CDM: What are the best and hardest things about being in a band together?
POST ANIMAL: Collaborating is very difficult, even with one person. Make that six people, and it sometimes becomes a complicated puzzle. That said, the difficulty makes it so rewarding when it works out! The best thing has been traveling all over the world together. The hardest thing has been being away from home so much.

CDM: Congrats, 'Pie In The Sky' is maybe the only song I've ever heard with the lyrics "big cheddar"... what is it about the moon that you find so enchanting?
POST ANIMAL: Its glow, its affect on the waters of our planet, how we never see the dark side, how close yet far it is.

CDM: In 'Setting Sun', you say: "Done giving in, and trying to be somebody I never knew." Were you writing about a specific experience?
POST ANIMAL: I was just saying exactly how I felt ya know - it always feels like there’s these expectations to be somebody but I just want to be me and am tired of trying to be somebody that I don’t even know.

CDM: What was it like writing the title-track 'Iron'?
POST ANIMAL: It was really ethereal sort of - the imagery that we all were imagining was really taking over. The first bits are some of the most atmospheric on the album and deal a lot with feeling separated, but the bridge comes in very grounding, both lyrically and musically. I think it was one of the most full-circle tracks for us.

CDM: Was 'Dorien Kregg' inspired by Oscar Wilde's 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'?
POST ANIMAL: No, I don’t believe we were consciously thinking about it at the time.

CDM: In 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', the character Lord Henry says: "When we are happy, we are always good, but when we are good, we are not always happy." Do you agree or disagree with this theory?
POST ANIMAL: 100% agree - being happy and taking care of yourself to get there are the most important things for a good life.

CDM: What was running through your mind while writing 'Maybe You Have To'?
POST ANIMAL: The original lyrics for the demo version of this song were inspired by certain loved ones that have passed out of our lives, but also by the feeling that all of the lightness, humour, and chaos of our human experience coexists with our lifelong effort to cope with that loss. It’s a song that tries to represent the strange balance of our existences.

CDM: In the Post Animal Cinematic Universe, what would happen at a dinner party attended by Dorien Kregg, Ralphie, and Lonely Jones?
POST ANIMAL: Dorien and LJ may never make it to the party. Hard to imagine them socialising with Ralphie whatsoever. Ralphie would likely have a delightful time.

CDM: What's the best compliment you've ever received from another member of the band?
POST ANIMAL: You’re THAT dude.

CDM: What does friendship mean to you?
POST ANIMAL: People who love to do stuff together.

CDM: What do you consider to be the most important qualities in a friend?
POST ANIMAL: Someone who helps to inspire and ground you.

CDM: Do you think the "male loneliness epidemic" is real?
POST ANIMAL: I think a lot of men were fed an idea of how they are supposed to feel and what their life is supposed to be like based on old tropes. So I don’t think it’s real but I do think as a collective society we have evolved and are bringing an awareness of the harm that patriarchy and other social structures have on our wellbeing - which may cause a lot of men to feel reactive and outcast as they adapt their expectations.

CDM: What in life gives you purpose?
POST ANIMAL: Standing for something and supporting vulnerable/creative sides of myself and others.

CDM: Who do you admire most for the way that they move through the world?
POST ANIMAL: Zohran Mamdani (democratic mayor-elect for NYC) - we met him recently and his warmth and personableness in a one-on-one interaction was unmatched. I also really admire how he lives and communicates his values.

CDM: What's the most vivid dream you've recently had?
POST ANIMAL: Recently, I had a dream that I had to get brain surgery. I could see the back of my head split open in third person and watched as I tried to screw something in, and then eventually called a doctor on an app to come and do it. I think I was maybe subconsciously witnessing the healing of some pathways in my brain.

CDM: What would be the title of the Post Animal autobiography if you wrote it today?
POST ANIMAL: 'Some Kind of Animal - the autobiography of a band called Post Animal.'