Word broke last week that Animal Collective were set to return this summer with a new record. Today, the band has officially announced details of their self-described “audiovisual album,” Tangerine Reef.
Due out August 17th, Tangerine Reef is a collaboration with “avant-garde coral macro-videography” duo Coral Morphologic (marine biologist Colin Foord and musician Jared McKay) to commemorate the 2018 International Year of the Reef. Animal Collective members Avey Tare, Deakin, and Geologist worked on the 13-track LP, but that’s not all the project includes. The second part is a full-length film described in a press release as “a visual tone poem consisting of time-lapse and slow pans across surreal aquascapes of naturally fluorescent coral and cameos by alien-like reef creatures.” In other words, a real aquatic collective of animals.
Tangerine Reef comes is the culmination of several collaborative projects between AnCo and CM. Geologist soundtracked Coral Morphologic’s 2011 short film Man O War, Foord delivered the spoken word intro for Avey Tare’s 2017 track “Coral Lords”, and that same year the band and the art-science duo worked together on a live performance called Coral Orgy. Tangerine Reef actually premiered as a live set at the New York edition of David Lynch’s Festival of Disruption.
All this aquatic interest isn’t that surprising for AnCo. Geologist has a masters in environmental policy focusing on the marine environment from Columbia University, while he and Deakin have taken an annual diving trip for the last 14 years.
As a preview of this latest joint effort, the John McSwain and Coral Morphologic-directed video for the opening track “Hair Cutter” has been shared via Apple Music. The full movie will debut on Animal Collective’s website the same day the album becomes available on streaming services, CD, and double-LP. Pre-orders for a limited edition color double-vinyl version are going on at the Animal Collective Domino Mart store.
Find a trailer for the visual component below, followed by the album’s tracklist. Update — Wednesday, August 2nd at 9:50 a.m. CT: The band has shared a new, extended trailer that clocks in at a little over three minutes.
Tangerine Reef Tracklist:
01. Hair Cutter
02. Buffalo Tomato
03. Inspector Gadget
04. Buxom
05. Coral Understanding
06. Airpipe (To A New Transition)
07. Jake And Me
08. Coral By Numbers
09. Hip Sponge
10. Coral Realization
11. Lundsten Coral
12. Palythoa
13. Best Of Times (Worst Of All)
