The Animal Gang – Gimme Love (2022)
Originally started as a project between producer Denis O’Neill and singer-songwriter Kris Finn, The Animal Gang wasn’t really so much a gang as two people jamming. Add guitarist Carl, bassist Shakey, and drummer Paul, now you have yourself an Animal Gang. Building their unique sound on similar musical leanings, the lads capture a diverse eclecticism in their music – a sort of mishmash of 60s influences from the Beatles to The Rolling Stones and beyond. The latest addition to their discography is the single ‘Gimme Love’.
Focusing primarily on gigs and building a name on the Dublin music scene, The Animal Gang saw a six-year break between their debut single ‘Like A Mine’ (2016) and their sophomore single ‘Paper Plane’ (2022). Following ‘Paper Plane’, ‘Gimme Love’ is a melodic arrangement of pounding drums, powerful guitars and Kris Finn’s gruff vocals. An old-school blues-rock sound, ‘Gimme Love’ has a nostalgic flair to the groovy vibes; however, a contemporary alternative rock sound lingers in the melody giving The Animal Gang a fresh but familiar edginess.
Yes, this third single from the Irish foursome certainly has a subtle contemporariness to it, but the focus is solidly on the rock sounds of yesteryear. Well-layered and textured, the arrangement harmonically binds all instrumentation to carry Finn’s bold vocals. Of course, I cannot ignore the beautiful guitar solo in the track standing out before flowing back into the smooth tune.
Easily described as outstanding The Animal Gang hit you between the eyes with ‘Gimme Love’, but don’t think for one moment blues-rock is all they know. Highlighting their creativity and innovation as artists, ‘Gimme Love’ is nothing like ‘Paper Plane’ (beyond the 60s/70s influence). Jumping from one style to the next, The Animal Gang transcend genres, breaks boundaries and skips over decades in their chilled-out tunes.
For more from The Animal Gang check out their Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
