Animal Collective have returned with a new 22-minute long single, “Defeat.” Listen to the song below.
Featuring ethereal electronic swirls and swells, long open-vowel harmonies, hauntingly beautiful melodies, and bursts of pop arrangements, “Defeat” is an masterful suite demonstrating Animal Collective’s sound. Lyrically, it conveys the sincerity they’ve become champions of purveying — asking “What have we become?” Avey Tare’s emotional vocals carry a palpable weight. When the conclusion of the song declares that the aforementioned “we” have not been defeated, the hope of the sentiment fills the tune like sunlight pouring into a warm, open room.
Recorded with producer Russell Elevado, “Defeat” also features guest musicians providing strings and saxophone parts. The song first debuted during live shows Animal Collective played in the late 2010s, and an early recorded version appeared along with their 2018 release, Live at Music Box Village. Listen to the new, studio version of the song below.
“Defeat” will also be released on a limited 12-inch vinyl, which will become available on August 25. The record will feature the B-side, “The Challenge (Live Edit),” an improvised track that the band began performing as the intro for “Strung With Everything,” a song from their 2022 album Time Skiffs. Pre-orders are ongoing.
Throughout the first half of this year, Animal Collective has been busy with reissues. In March, they reissued their debut album, 2000’s Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished. In May, they shared a 23-year-old cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.” Then, earlier this month, netizens discovered that Google had confused Animal Collective with the grindcore band Anal Cunt.
Revisit Avey Tare’s 2022 appearance on Kyle Meredith With…, where he discussed Time Skiffs and more…