Animal Collective - Defeat

Domino Records

£16.81

Format: 12” Vinyl
Catalogue No.: RUG1368T
Barcode: 0887829136819
Release Date: 25 Aug 2023
Genre: Indie/Alternative

 This 22-minute Animal Collective epic is an unapologetic ode to perseverance and hope, to ‘staying grounded like the spruce’ when the very land seems to shift beneath us.
 Recorded in three phases by Russell Elevado (D’Angelo, Alicia Keys, Al Green) in the analogue wonderland of The Bunker, ‘Defeat’ springs from that hurdy-gurdy haze into a pop explosion, suggesting fight music for our shared future.
 The song’s slow-motion finale feels like a fantasia vision of what’s to come - a quieter place where we can thrive together, not apart.
 This is the beautiful and redemptive saga of the Animal Collective condensed into one unforgettable suite, a song for holding fast even as the world spins ahead, ever faster.
 Available to independent retailers on 12” vinyl.
 Also features the B-side ‘The Challenge (Live Edit)’. ‘The
Challenge’ is a completely improvised track that has only
been played in front of a live audience, originating as an
unrehearsed intro to the song ‘Strung With Everything’
while the band were on tour last year. The recorded
version that appears on the 12” was collaged together
from 11 different shows between March and September of
2022.
 “The only time it was even discussed was after shows late
in the touring cycle when it took on its own identity,” says
the band’s Geologist. “‘How did we feel about the ‘Strung’
intro?’ often provided the answer to ‘how was the show?’
But the discussion always ended at what happened that
night, without any detailed critique, and never with how it
might happen the next. We became aware the same
discussions were happening amongst our fans, who were
recording, uploading and listening to the shows each night.
They took notice and named the section ‘The Challenge’. This edit is for them.”