7/10

There’s something electrifying about a record that feels like it was unearthed in real time, shaped by collision rather than control. And on 'We Should Be Animals', James Beastly leans fully into that unpredictability by delivering a body of work that pulses with raw instinct and restless creativity.

Born from an unexpected convergence of circumstances, the album carries an energy that feels communal at its core. What began as a moment of refuge quickly transformed into something far more expansive, with a rotating cast of collaborators feeding into its identity.

Musically, the artist continues to blur boundaries, but here the palette feels broader and more daring. Gritty guitar tones collide with melodic hooks that linger longer than you expect, while bursts of saxophone and sweeping strings add unexpected colour to the mix.

Tracks like 'Persona Non Grata' hit with immediate impact, wrapping sharp-edged instrumentation around deceptively catchy melodies, while 'White Dwarf' spirals into something far more frenetic, its rhythm propelling it forward with an almost unhinged urgency. Elsewhere, 'Ephemera' pulls things back, offering a moment of quiet reflection that feels both fragile and expansive, revealing another dimension of his songwriting.

Lyrically, the album explores the tension between self-awareness and surrender. There’s a recurring sense of grappling with identity, desire, and the fear of embracing something genuine. These themes are never presented neatly; instead, they surface in fragments, images, and emotional bursts that feel instinctive rather than calculated.

James Beastly has always operated slightly outside the expected, but here, that unpredictability feels fully realised. 'We Should Be Animals' is a release of tension, a collision of ideas, and ultimately, a celebration of what happens when instinct takes the lead.