Animal Noise

"How Can You Love Me? also packed a punch. With its catchy chorus, rolling drums, harmonies and intricate guitar melodies, it was a standout of the collection." - God Is In The TV

The new single ‘How Can You Love Me?’ with it’s earthy, organic production is described by Josh Sandifer Animal Noise’s lead vocalist: “We wanted to create a sense of intrigue and suspense in the intro of ‘How Can You Love Me’, it does this but leaves a lot of room to breathe, which makes a change from the way our songs usually take shape. The vocals tear in and occupy this breathing space prominently, the contradictory phrases used in the lyrics are meant to paint a picture of an unhealthy kind of obsession and the accompanying denial.

We wanted to leave a lot of space in the chorus between the phrases, the progression between the afro-beating static rhythm behind the main line and the deep pounding floor toms over the gaps does this nicely. Lyrically, it’s an overall bleakly themed song but the paradoxically upbeat infectiousness of the music counters this and restores a balance.”

Following the successful completion of their spring tour of the UK, during which they sold out their hometown show at Colchester Arts Centre, Animal Noise are hitting a series of summer festivals. They began this with a blistering show at the British Summer Time Festival in Hyde Park and are also set to appear at Standon Calling, Fling, Ramsbottom and Wilkestock.

The festival dates will see them playing their new material which has been picking up love from key tastemakers God Is In The TV, Louder Than War and Jammerzine. The ‘Sink Or Swim’ EP has also enjoyed early radio airplay from BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing and Soho Radio with a healthy momentum building.

Summer Festival Dates:

July 23rd – Bay Days
July 29th – Standon Calling
July 30th – Swan Fest
July 30th – Scarlet Festival
September 3rd – Wilkestock
September 17th – Ramsbottom Festival
September 18th – Ramsbottom Festival - Jammerzine

I’ve reviewed this band before, and yet again, it only took only a few listens to the feature track for one to fall in love with this band.

They seem to have the ability to grab hold of your attention and wrestle you to the ground until you give up and acquiesce to the simple beauty that is the band Animal Noise. This time, it’s the case of their majestic new single ‘How Can You Love Me?’.

To start, it’s not a noisy affair at all. Partly semi-acoustic throughout, with insistent drumming, this is a pretty low key track that manages to build and build to a rhythmic loveliness.

The visuals of the accompanying video are equally arresting and just add to the weird slash sexiness of this track.

Set in a black and white industrial setting, the three members of the band are set up within the confines of a tunnel and are seemingly teased by a scantily clad siren who physically aches for their attention whilst a visual background of footage of mushroom clouds, war and the infamous Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse aka “Gallopin’ Gertie” plays behind them.

The music is great, but it’s the distinctive lead vocals of that really lifts this track above the mediocre indie records around today and into the “bands to watch” sphere. It gets under your skin. Nice stuff. - Louder Than War

Well hello beautiful! Those were the exact words that passed through my mind the first time I listened to Animal Noise. I cannot recall if I actually heard an audible click inside the combination lock that is my brain but regardless, my mental vault doors have been opened and this band's music has rapidly taken up residence. Honestly, considering how I feel about the songs on the Sink Or Swim EP, I don't foresee eviction notices ever being posted requiring their removal.

Now how can I best describe the wonderful sound collage Animal Noise creates? Let's start with the instrumentation. This trio is comprised of acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and drums. Nothing out of the ordinary, but the music produced is exceptional. Elements of folk music, progressive rock, punk, and psychedelic rock interact perfectly with each other to form a unique sonic signature I find captivating! And that's saying nothing of the vocals. Goodness gracious the vocals! They're rife with passion and conviction and the harmonies are superb.

The four tracks that make up the SOS EP are uniformly strong and memorable. One key feature they all share is that each song begins relatively quietly. The band adds layers of musical gusto on top of the muted foundations until each song positively crackles with energy. Even the pseudo-ballad "Alright" qualifies as a high-voltage generator once it fully develops! Picking a favorite is impossible. Not borderline impossible. Straight up, hung jury, case dismissed impossible.

Waveriders if you are looking for some incredible new tunes that will go a long way towards making your day extraordinary the Sink Or Swim EP from Animal Noise is your golden ticket! There are two ways to obtain this brilliant item. The EP is available digitally from a variety of different sources, but it was also released on Record Store Day 2016 as a limited edition 7" vinyl. Physical copies can be purchased directly from the band's website.

However you go about obtaining this EP make sure to share your discovery with others. Remember friends, sharing is caring! - The Ripple Effect

Right from the outset, this band has a great vocalist who is able to run the gamut of both (post) punk immediacy and soulfulness not heard since Jacko…… I am deadly serious. Have another listen.

This EP is a follow up to their 2012 debut LP ‘Run Loose’ that garnered them some Radio 1 and BBC 6 Music support and airplay. What they have been doing since 2012 is anyone’s guess, but by the sound of this their title track off their new EP ‘Sink or Swim’, they have been devouring and digesting every 80s and 90s band worth their salt, and mining them for inspiration and dedication.

Animal Noise’s grooves are tight, and they manage to straddle their influences nicely and dip their toes into the good parts of 80s post punk, whilst managing to avoid all the awful 80s influences that a few current bands could be accused of. (I wait with baited breath until they go away for good. I am not mentioning any names, but suffice to say it may be years and years ….) - Louder Than War

The description on Facebook for Animal Noise describes the band as “a three from SE England as an experimental indie outfit, creating moody swamp songs.” The last three words especially sum up the tone of the seriously captivating songs making up their latest EP Sink or Swim. It offers four tracks of dark rock ‘n’ roll as ripe with folkish charm as they are vibrant with indie rock tenacity and blues infused drama. Like a rousing mix of Common Tongues, Billy Momo, and Milton Star; sound and EP leap on ears and ignite the spirit and imagination with consummate ease; the result a fun and rousing time for all.

Since releasing their debut album Run Loose in 2012, it is fair to say that the Colchester hailing trio of Josh, Birdy, and Jack have been the keen recipients of regular attention and praise. The release of their well-received album soon led to Animal Noise performing at the likes of Bestival and T in The Park whilst their songs have found a potent place in the playlists of radio shows hosts like Greg James, Huw Stephens, Sara Cox, Scott Mills, and Tom Robinson through the extensive support of BBC Suffolk Introducing. Working with producer Tom Donovan on new songs in recent times has led to the arrival of the four-track Sink Or Swim EP which will be released on limited edition vinyl as part of Record Store Day on 15th April.

cover_RingMasterReviewRecently unveiled single and EP title track, Sink Or Swim is the first lure of the release and instantly it tantalises ears and imagination with its flirtatious and slightly agitated web of melodic enterprise. There is funkiness to guitar and bass as they align with skittish beats around the swiftly impressing vocals. The seriously engaging start is soon a heftier stroll of boisterous endeavour and energy, beats a beefy incitement within the feisty blaze of guitar and bass stringed revelry. Though it relaxes at times throughout, that first expulsion of creative zeal fires up the rest of a song thereon in; a contagion which simply gets under the skin with the great expressive character of the vocals leading the way.

The acoustic and rhythmic rumble of How Can You Love Me is next; its dark and sultry country air a lively shuffle of nagging riffs and tenacious beats again graced by potent vocal drama and similarly enthralling harmonies. As the first, even with it’s slightly darker and imposing character, the song has feet and emotions bouncing and fully engaged in its shadowed tale in no time, before the galvanic adventure of Alright provides a darkly hued croon over rhythms which still will not settle down. For whatever reason, the track reminds, as indeed other moments within the EP, of Eighteen Nightmares At the Lux. Admittedly the reason as to why is vague but there is a kinship in off-kilter dark rock ‘n’ roll ingenuity both bands share in their openly individual sound and writing.

The band saves it finest moment for closing track Bag Of Bones. Guitar and vocals offer the first persuasive proposal within the song, percussive enticing soon making an additional invitation to the already anthemic air of the track. With each passing second, there is a sense of energy and devilment brewing, thrilling dynamics which explode in a seriously rousing chorus driven by the tenacious urgency and roar of vocals backed again by bold harmonies. Ending on a finale which whips up feet and vocal chords, the outstanding song has a highly enjoyable feel of The Woodentops to it whilst bringing a thoroughly enjoyable EP to an epic end.

Sink Or Swim is an encounter which just leaves ears and appetite greedily wanting more; a hunger easy to assume Animal Noise will continue to happily and impressively feed ahead.

The Sink Or Swim EP is released April 15th. - The Ringmaster Review

Since their debut several years ago, Colchester indie rock trio have seen a swift rise in popularity and been awarded with a wide array of opportunities, and after listening to their latest offering – Sink Or Swim – it is abundantly clear why that is the case.

Starting quiet from the offset, they suddenly pick up for what is an immensely catchy opening number. Following that, tremendous, impeccable acoustic chords and an addictive drum beat carry forth the melody of How Can You Love Me.

They proceed through Alright at a smooth rate, soon building towards an explosive finale, before eventually capping off with the thrilling Bag Of Bones, and if you somehow resist the dire urge to tap your foot to this bouncy ditty, you have unnaturally tenacious restraint.

Make no bones about it, this is a damn near perfect EP we have on our hands here that will most definitely go down as of 2016’s best. - Small Music Reviews

Animal Noise comes from a place that, to the average (read: geographically challenged) American, sounds like it originated in the mind of George R. R. Martin. The three-person band, comprised of Josh Sandifer (vocals), Michael Bird (bass), and Jack Abbott (drums), is known to have practiced in a cowshed on a farm in East Anglia.

(For those of you who, like me, aren’t constantly thinking of regional nomenclature in relation to Anglo-Saxon history and need to look up where this magical kingdom is, let me quickly inform you that it’s literally an area of eastern England.)

Animal Noise released their first album in 2012 — without professional representation — and received accolades from national influencers like BBC Radio 1, whose personalities fell in love with their music. They’ve now released a follow up EP, Sink or Swim.

This attention, along with the band’s increasing fan base from playing shows, helped make Animal Noise a known entity in and around their home turf. Now they’re trying to expand their reach. (I’m writing about them in New York City. Infer what you will.)

Animal Noise Lives in Dichotomy
The band acknowledges that “Sink or Swim” oscillates between vastly differing emotions. It flip flops and takes advantage of uncomfortable feelings to get a message across. I argue that not only the single but the entire album of Sink or Swim embraces dichotomies.

In the single for which the album is named, there are crescendos followed by decrescendos… followed by very sudden changes in the volume of the sounds being produced. The music is strong and then timid, loud and then soft.

As the band explains, “[it] runs with a recurring theme of water and helplessness, relating to plaguing negative thoughts and anxieties about taking risks, a fear of jumping into the deep end of something new and different which scares a lot of people…”

In my opinion, they provide the dark tunnel but don’t provide a light at the end of it: “Another war that I won’t win… Don’t you know you’ll never win?”



In “How Can You Love Me,” the opposites that live throughout the album are even more apparent. While the lyrics of this particular track were predictable, I enjoyed them. “Shut my eyes and I’ll see / Hold my breath and I’ll breathe / Tell me lies; I’ll believe…”

Animal Noise successfully produces a kind of folk/bluegrass sound in this song, as well. Over the course of about three minutes, there’s intense plucking of a string instrument, which reminds me of Trampled by Turtles, as well as a yodeling aspect to the vocals that not everyone can pull off.

“Alright” and “Bag of Bones” drive home the band’s characteristics introduced in “Sink or Swim” and “How Can You Love Me.” In “Alright,” the singer struggles with a relationship and frames the conflict in opposition to what love should be: “Hide in the daylight when you know you’re mine… We could be old; we could be young if we want.”

In “Bag of Bones,” the folksiness reemerges. I enjoyed the lyrics but found the tempo to be too quick to sound purposeful.

I think that Animal Noise has a lot of potential. If they leave the experimentation to their cowshed days and find their niched, embrace their sound, I think they’ll go far.

All in all, Sink or Swim is well worth a listen. Everyone loves a good band from the UK (forgive me for the grand generalization but it’s one I want to make) and we can add Animal Noise to that list. - Indie Band Guru

When Animal Noise self-released their debut album ‘Run Loose’ in 2012, they quickly went from playing in their rehearsal studio, an old cowshed on bass player Birdy’s farm, to the stages of Bestival & T in The Park. Through extensive support from BBC Suffolk Introducing, Animal Noise caught the attention of BBC Radio 1, receiving airplay from Greg James, Huw Stephens, Sara Cox and Scott Mills. BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson was also a big fan, recording a session with the band for his show. This widespread national radio support and subsequent festival appearances have meant Animal Noise have built a large following across their home county of East Anglia, and now they’re looking to reach further afield. Working with producer Tom Donovan, the band have been crafting songs to follow up 2012’s ‘Run Loose’. The first tracks to come from these sessions will be found on their Sink Or Swim EP which will be released on limited edition vinyl as part of Record Store Day. The lead single ‘Sink Or Swim’ will be released on the 25th March, upfront of the EP. The band describe the track as having “a bouncing staggered riff that flips from aggression to reflection. The song runs with a recurring theme of water and helplessness, relating to plaguing negative thoughts and anxieties about taking risks, a fear of jumping into the deep end of something new and different which scares a lot of people…" The EP includes the tracks 'Bag of Bones' and 'Alright', which have already gained momentum through extensive BBC introducing support. A compelling blend of strong melody and intricate structure, Animal Noise are as innovative as they are exciting. The bands attention to detail extends to the cover artwork which depicts a boat staying afloat in stormy seas, a metaphor for the music industry perhaps? The band found a photograph at a local art fair and knew immediately it would form the basis for the cover for their EP. They approached local artist Lee Thomas to realise their vision. // "I really, really liked that, I want to see them live..." Greg James, BBC Radio 1 // "Baddow blew my socks off. It's a wonderful piece of music, played from beginning to end with such fresh, ferocious energy.” Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 6 Music // "Baddow, it's such a good tune.” Maryanne Hobbs, Radio X (XFM)/ BBC 6 Music. Tracklisting: 1. Sink Or Swim 2. How Could You Love Me 3. Alright 4. Bag of Bones - Record Store Day UK

The incredibly striking video, created by Maria Rocha, blends live action with a range of animation techniques to create an alternate reality; intricate pen and ink drawings are juxtaposed with collage landscapes, which challenge our protagonist at every step.

Commenting on the video, the band said “We’re very happy with the video and how it intertwines with the music. Maria Rocha has captured the mood of the song with her animation and editing.”

The band describe ‘Sink Or Swim’, as having “a bouncing staggered riff that flips from aggression to reflection. The song runs with a recurring theme of water and helplessness, relating to plaguing negative thoughts and anxieties about taking risks, a fear of jumping into the deep end of something new and different which scares a lot of people…” - Jammerzine

London-based indie rock outfit Animal Noise released their EP Sink or Swim back as part of this year’s Record Store Day. Its title track moved between quiet folk-tinged passages and louder math-rock inspired moments, but the slow-burning anthem ‘How Can You Love Me?’ also packed a punch. With its catchy chorus, rolling drums, harmonies and intricate guitar melodies, it was a standout of the collection.

The track now has a much-deserved video, which sees the band performing in a storm drain and being haunted by a mysterious woman wearing a mask. Frontman Josh also sings in front of some superimposed video and there’s archive footage of a bridge twisting and turning seemingly by itself, symbolising the tempestuous relationship detailed in the track. Watch below. - Moon Blog From Syb