Localized: No Such Animal

No Such Animal and Air Vent Dweller will co-headline January’s Localized showcase at Kilby Court on Wednesday, January 17 for an unforgettable night of anthemic alternative rock and DIY egg-punk! Doors open at 7 p.m. and grunge-metal group No Jure will kick off the night at 8 p.m. SLUG Localized tickets are $5 and the event is sponsored by Riso-Geist.

No Such Animal is an alternative rock band from Orem that makes anthemic, power-pop styled rock. “I originally started it as kind of my solo project during COVID when everybody was locked inside,” explains frontman Finn Morrison. “I just started recording a lot of music at home. After a little bit of that I had enough to put out an album, and that’s Painted Faces.” Finn is referring to the group’s 2020 debut, a lively, emotionally-charged rock record with pop-punk highlights.

The band proper was born out of a snowballing of opportunities. Following a performance by a different iteration of the band at an open mic night, they were approached about headlining a show. “Yes, totally!” Finn responded, despite being “totally unprepared.” After this, the band featured a revolving cast of members, eventually settling on the quintet that recorded The Entertainer, which was released in September.

“… I was trying to express how to make every song sound similar but unique.”

Their sophomore album marks a move toward a more sweeping, conceptual vision, utilizing intros, interludes and a variety of musical styles including a turn toward harder rock. Imagine something along the lines of a modern and alternative rock opera. When asked about this new direction and eclecticism, the band breaks into murmurs about “The Triangle.”

Bassist Seth Jensen elaborates, “This was a late-night conversation me and Finn had. We were driving back from some concert and I was trying to express how to make every song sound similar but unique. I was like, ‘Well, think of it like a triangle: you got our three most different songs on the album … I think we picked ‘On My Own,’ ‘New American Cyborg’ and ‘The Entertainer’— those were our corners. We were like, ‘Well, let’s try to fit everything within the bounds of those.’”

I was surprised to find that “The Triangle” wasn’t just a concept but a very real thing. As we continued talking, my eyes flitted to a drawing Jensen had sent me of a scalene triangle filled with points and corresponding track names—songs that are sonically halfway between “On My Own” and “The Entertainer,” or unlike either but more along the lines of “New American Cyborg.” “You have to keep the triangle balanced to have enough songs on all of the different sides, y’know?” adds keyboardist Ella Morrison.

“It became less of one person just making songs and sending them out into the ether, and much more ‘let’s make one cohesive piece of music, intentionally.’”

The sonic diversity isn’t just a schtick, it’s born out of the breadth of influences between the five members, and it shows in their playing, with drummer Max Miller’s Muse appreciation shining in the big vocal harmonies and guitarist Cole Harris’ love for Judas Priest and Iron Maiden showing in his more hardcore axe-work. Aside from being a Pinegrove fan, Jensen is also a choir member. Finn explains this musical synthesis on The Entertainer: “It became less of one person just making songs and sending them out into the ether as a group just because they happen to be written around the same time, and much more ‘let’s make one cohesive piece of music, intentionally.’”

All currently enrolled at BYU, the five-piece fits time in their course load for practice, songwriting and performing. The Entertainer was released at the beginning of autumn as a direct result of the group taking the summer—the eye of the academic storm—to record in Finn’s home studio. Befitting their origins as a live band, No Such Animal prides themselves on the liveliness of their shows.

As Ella puts it, “I think a live concert is so much more than just listening to music—it has to be a fun experience. You want the audience to really enjoy themselves [and] have a good, memorable time. So, we like to keep that energy high. Not to be cheesy, but you’re an entertainer, that’s what it’s for. You’re there to entertain people.”

“I think a live concert is so much more than just listening to music—it has to be a fun experience.”

Follow No Such Animal on their Instagram @nosuchanimal.theband to listen to their music and keep up with upcoming shows!

Check out more Localized interviews:
Localized: Roses on the Moon
Localized: Body Horror