LISTEN: Suzanimal’s “Behavin” Is Infectious Alt-Pop With Jazzy Undertones

Suzanimal is a Bay Area indie psych-pop-rock band that makes danceable, groove-driven songs about bugs, naps, doubts, ideas, love, swimming, fear, parties, games, imposter syndrome, cooking, infinity, shady Airbnb hosts, and more. Singer, songwriter, and bassist Suzanne Galal – a scientist and professor by day — picked up a bass guitar for the first time at the age of 30, and began writing confident, groove-centered tracks soon after. The band includes a cast of the Bay Area’s most accomplished live musicians, including Benjamin Andrews, AJ McKinley, Andrew Laubacher, and Brendan Liu of Con Brio (on guitars, keys, drums, and trumpet, respectively). The band quickly earned a reputation for engaging live performances and genre-defying style. 

A Day Like Tonight, Suzanimal’s forthcoming full-length album, sees the band moving into tighter pop melodies and contemporary rock production; Galal’s vocals are seductive yet bold, layered over distorted guitar solos, soulful horn lines, and silvery synth riffs. 

On the latest preview of their upcoming LP, “Behavin,” Suzanimal introduces their nuanced fusion wizardry via hazy textures and infectious melodies. The psychedelic ballad achieves the perfect balance between the welcoming warmth of earthly grooves and the eerie unknown of space-aged psychedelia, toeing the line between experimentation and a radio-ready anthem. The vocals cascade around this unpredictable arrangement, blanketing the subtle electronic nods and rolling pianos in a shimmering cloth woven with gold and care. “Behavin” encourages the listener to get lost in its sonic intricacies, yet the lyrics add another layer to the performance. Suzanimal searches for certainty in a time of confusion, left wondering how someone could be so cruel to someone simply existing. The band takes the complexity of the situation, filters it through their lofty visions, and emerges with “Behavin,” an exhilarating preview of A Day Like Tonight.