Post Animal is set to perform at ONCE Ballroom on Thursday, March 12. – Photo by Alexa Viscius

By Blake Maddux

One would be forgiven for presuming that a progressive rock group from the 1970s was responsible for albums with titles like Post Animal Perform the Most Curious Water Activities, When I Think of You in a Castle, and Forward Motion Godyssey.

While it is true that such bands inspired the Chicago quintet Post Animal, the salad days of prog rock transpired two decades ahead of the one in which its members – Dalton Allison, Jake Hirshland, Javi Reyes, Wesley Toledo, and Matt Williams – were born. (Original member Joe Keery, better known to viewers of Stranger Things as Steve Harrington, graduated from Newburyport High School in 2010.)

Moreover, to hem in Post Animal’s sound with the term “progressive rock” would be a disservice. The descriptors “psych rock” and “psych pop” likewise populate delineations of the band’s output and comparisons to artists as temporally and stylistically disparate as Black Sabbath and Tame Impala are frequent. (Mentions of R&B and power pop are not unheard of, either.)

This multitude of influences makes up in adventurousness what it occasionally lacks in cohesion. With Forward Motion Godyssey, which was released this past Valentine’s Day, Post Animal moves laterally at some points and advances at others, all the while serving up a cornucopia of musical offerings and demonstrating a bold willingness to experiment.

The band’s imminent headlining tour commences in Toronto on March 10 and arrives at ONCE Ballroom two days later. The Q&A below was conducted via email with contribution from all members.

The Somerville Times: Post Animal has played several venues (Brighton Music Hall, The Lilypad, Royale, Great Scott) of various sizes as an opener and headliner in Boston over the past three years. How does this compare or contrast with other cities that you regularly play?

Post Animal: We have had a lot of similar experiences in other cities with the variety of clubs we’ve played, but some of our best shows early on were at Brighton Music Hall and Great Scott. It was so nice to feel well-received. It’s always fun for us to play as a support band in a bigger venue, but the Boston area has always been especially supportive so we are looking forward to playing more headlining shows!

TST: What are the main differences – in terms of writing, recording, producing, etc. – between Forward Motion Godyssey and When I Imagine You in a Castle? How, if at all, do those differences make FMG a better record?

PA: On FMG we had a lot less hesitation to take things as far as we could in every direction. The material is a bit more ambitious, which is comforting to us. We all enjoy bringing a really wide variety of influences to the table, so this record feels a little more true to who we are and shows off a deeper side of us as individuals within the group. Both records have their moments, but I think we all agree that FMG is more in the direction we are collectively heading.

TST: Why did the band decamp to Montana to write FMG?

PA: We went to Big Sky, Montana because we had access to a beautiful house up on a ski lodge out there via a family friend of the band. It seemed like the perfect place to match our ambitions, and we’ve always enjoyed having total control to experiment with the recording process. So it just felt right to bring all our stuff out to a mountain range and see what happened.

TST: The press release says that you “hol[ed] up in the house for eight days.” How much total time did you spend working on the album?

PA: It actually took us over a year to write and arrange the record. We have demo sessions that date back to 2018 for some of the tracks that made the album. The actual tracking of the album was done in eight days due to us avoiding a few snow storms on our way out to Montana and back, but it seemed like all the time we needed having the prepared all the material over the previous year.

TST: Which musical influences are more prominent on FMG than on previous releases?

PA: We incorporated a wider range of influences on FMG, mainly in the contemporary pop and prog/metal genres. Before, we were known for a lot of classic rock influence, but over the years we’ve become a lot more interested in all different kinds!

TST: Which two songs on FMG represent the extremes of the album’s stylistic spectrum?

PA: I think that Schedule shows off a more pop and colorful side of our influences and it’s opposite might be In a Paradise or Post Animal, which come from a darker prog rock side of our band.

TST: Were the crowds on your UK tour opening for Cage the Elephant in February the largest you’ve ever played for?

PA: Yes. Every show progressively became the largest we had ever played. Alexandra Palace [London] was an absolute dream.

TST: Joe Keery isn’t in the band anymore, but how did an aspiring actor from Newburyport, MA end up joining a band from Chicago?

PA: We all met in Chicago when Matt and Joe were coworkers after we all ended up there for school. Javi ended up there at the same time right after he graduated from college. We instantly kind of hit it off as friends and musicians, then moved in to an apartment together where we would practice and record in the basement. It was really a lucky time where all the stars aligned for us.

Post Animal with TWEN at ONCE Ballroom. Thursday, March 12. Doors at 8. $15 in advance/$18 day of show.