Animal City - Bump Head Go Home LP (Sophomore Lounge, 2015)
"Bump Head Go Home," the third official full-length LP from Chicago's long running rhythm-and-booze band Animal City, is their strongest collection of recordings to date. Trading the lakehouse electronic tricks of 2013's "See You In The Funny Pages," their latest effort captures the quartet in their most raw and honest form -- outfitted for full-on rock modes, jazzed up and peaking out pawn shop amps with only peripheral nods toward the Thin Lizzy, Magic Sam, Joe Walsh, and Wilco posters on the practice space walls.
"Bump Head Go Home is the third Animal City album, and it’s also the third one reviewed in these pages – it’s like we’ve grown up together, just a bunch of rag-tag boys trying to make it in this crazy mixed-up world. They’re not a band I listen to very often, but on those special occasions, I can’t help but wonder why I don’t do it more often (which echoes my feelings on wearing sweatpants). They’ve got a knack for writing casual-fit, country/blues-tinged indie-rock songs, heavy on the witty wordplay and optimistic-yet-exhausted vibe. It’s as if they know they are gentrifying the part of town they live in, and they feel bad about that on some level, but they’ve still gotta find a way to pay rent and play in a band, right? Maybe I’m just projecting. Anyway, a lot of these songs have to do with booze or drugs, but in lighthearted and humorous ways, as if these tantalizing depressants are merely enjoyable nuisances that kill the time, like Facebook or Instagram. A stark contrast to the shameful poison that Youth Of Today taught me about. Fun tunes for sure, with a nice mix of forlorn and upbeat melodies." - Yellow Green Red