Animal Kingdom - The Looking Away (2012)

The Looking Away was recorded in Kosten s Ladbroke Grove studio in just four weeks. The follow up to their 2009 debut Signs And Wonders, it s an album that tackles serious subjects in a subtle manner. The gently epic The Art Of Tuning Out is about the depopulation of the Diego Garcia Islands in the Indian Ocean, and several songs touch on themes of distraction and disassociation, inspired by the effect of 24 hour rolling news coverage. Even the title The Looking Away comes from a John Pilger essay. But the album is never preachy or browbeating, rather it s beautiful, shimmering, playful rock music that can be enjoyed purely on a surface level. Animal Kingdom are signed to hip New York label Mom + Pop (home of Policia, Sleigh Bells, and FIDLAR), hence the album was first released in the US. Strange Attractor took root in the alternative charts and the band found themselves spending the whole of last summer there. They opened Lollapalooza, supported Frightened Rabbit and Atlas Genius, and their headline tour included sold-out dates at the legendary Mercury Lounge in New York and Troubadour in Los Angeles. Now, with the band back home in Crouch End, Mom + Pop are releasing The Looking Away in the UK. As enigmatic as they are anthemic, Animal Kingdom deserve to reach as big an audience at home as they do abroad.