Fall Be Kind

Before the splendor of Merriweather Post Pavillion has even worn away, its songs wiped from our favorite playlist, Animal Collective has released yet another EP to be excited about, fresh and equally delicious. Fall Be Kind is the dark counterpart of the livelier and, appropriately, merrier full length album which came out earlier this year.

Some of the new songs may ring familiar, like the cinematic track “Graze” and the much-hyped “What Would I Want? Sky” which features the first ever licensed Grateful Dead sample. Both songs have both been played live and were met with great nods of approval. Still, Animal Collective has an extraordinary approach in mixing a track to make you feel like you’re hearing the song for the very first time. At times ambient and eerily cheerful, the 28 minute EP delivers vibrant resonance, outré carnivalesque tunes, and sedative rythms, giving us another satisfying swallow of their radiance, then leaving us to hanker for more.

Released electronically on November 23rd with a physical release date set for December 15, Fall Be Kind will immerse you into the introspective darkness of the season while the taste of spring still lingers on our lips.

-chelsey bingham

(band photo credit: Atiba Jefferson)