Ceramic Animal-Saturday, 3/12

Philadelphia, PA

Ceramic Animal hails from historic Doylestown, Pennsylvania, about an hour north of Philadelphia. The band features a trio of brothers—Chris Regan (vocals, guitar), Erik Regan (drums) and Elliott Regan (vocals, keys)—along with childhood friend Anthony Marchione (guitar) and Dallas Hosey (vocals, bass). A guitar band of the highest-order with an acute focus on songwriting, they fuse post punk, psych and 70’s pop together in a sound not too far from contemporaries like The War On Drugs, Strand of Oaks or fellow Pennsylvania artist, Kurt Vile.

Before reaching the ears of Easy Eye Sound owner, producer and The Black Keys frontman, Dan Auerbach, the band had found critical and commercial success on their own terms. Ceramic Animal funded, produced and self-released three albums and attracted a large and far flung fan base. They never made a conscious decision to keep things ruggedly DIY; instead, they just felt their way in the dark and did what five boys from Doylestown, PA would do - work hard.

Lively and imaginative, Ceramic Animal’s music highlights a very real and relatable strain of emotional alienation coursing through the lyrics, where people leave you with holes in your life, where flickering memories of brighter times offer the only comfort. The three Regan brothers lost their father - their greatest influence and biggest fan - just before the making of this album. It makes for a more reflective record, but not one devoid of hope or warmth.