The Animal Steel – A Surefire Way To Get Sober LP (Snappy Little Numbers)

Here’s the last one from the latest batch provided by Snappy Little Numbers. Like the remainder of their impressive roster, The Animal Steel isn’t an exception either. After listening to so many bands from Denver, Colorado, it makes me wonder, are there any groups that don’t sound good? Seriously, they’re all superb, and luckily enough, Snappy Little Numbers releases and handles all the distribution for the majority of them. However, The Animal Steel differ in terms of energy, dynamics, articulation, and style compared to the remainder of the roster. A Surefire Way To Get Sober is more than solid proof of my statement, and I would like to talk a bit more about this excellent full-length today.

A Surefire Way To Get Sober is a debut album by the beforementioned group. However, like many other bands signed to Snappy Little Numbers, they burst with an outstanding quality rarely seen on the debuts by other contemporaries. Animal Steel nurtures a specific combination of complementary music genres, so their music resonates with even more power than many other bands nowadays. Perhaps the post-hardcore would be the closest genre that suits them, but there are also many similarities with the mid to late-nineties emo groups. Earlier works of Hot Water Music come to mind first, but Animal Steel also incorporates the contemporary, progressive side of post-hardcore, emo, melodic punk rock, and indie music. It’s unquestionably detailed, complex, thoroughly planned, and combined material that deserves your utmost attention.

A Surefire Way To Get Sober is an enormously melodic album with not a single bad song included. Each composition possesses many qualities, such as perfect structure, catchy riffs, progressive chord progressions, complex beats, harmonious singalongs, and dual vocal parts. Both vocalists provide superb performance, and their singing technics range from aggressive, semi-distorted shoutouts to soothing, melodic, clean chants. The Animal Steel usually showcase their profoundly aggressive mid-tempo side, where the band bursts with sheer power. However, there are also cathartic half-time moments, where all those progressive parts, virtuosities, and other sonic delicacies shine bright in the limelight. It’s a divine full-length release from scratch to finish, and you should give it a listen. Like many other Snappy Little Numbers releases, A Surefire Way To Get Sober also comes with eye-peeling artwork. You’re going to love that smoky lemon-lime vinyl variant. It perfectly suits the remainder of the visual identity and looks neat on the turntable. Head over to Snappy Little Numbers for more information about ordering.