Zoo Animal “Young Blood” Review

Zoo Animal, the Minneapolis based band fronted by Holly Hansen, have recently released a new album titled Young Blood. Like some of the great female singers she references over the 25 minute album (Chan Marshall, Fiona Apple, Leslie Feist), she has a gritty and beautiful voice that seems to weave its way perfectly into the songs without ever sounding too put together or fragile. The songs, all written by Hansen, have a great lo-fi feel and together create a strong and cohesive album that is one of the biggest surprises I have heard from a local release in the last year. The 10 tracks range from wispy and lighthearted to coarse and dark, all held together by Hansen’s great voice and the rough-around-the-edges production. Highlights include the Pixies sounding “My Lord,” the redemptive “Hit by Wind” and the Cat Power sounding “Simone.” The whole disc is a strong and diverse affair and shows some amazing potential for this young songwriter and her great band. Zoo Animal have quite a few shows coming up as listed on their MySpace page, and Young Blood is available now.

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Also: Zoo Animal’s Favorite Albums of the Decade