"Animal Joy" marked a shift towards a more direct, guitar-driven sound for Shearwater, less reliant on the elaborate arrangements of prior work. The album was recorded quickly in Austin with producer Spoon's Britt Daniel.
- "Animal Joy" was Shearwater's first album for Sub Pop Records.
- The album was recorded in the summer of 2011 at Structure Studios in Austin, Texas.
- The song "Drug Abuse" was released as a single to promote the album.
Shearwater is a chamber-rock band from Austin, Texas, led by the primary songwriter and vocalist Jonathan Meiburg. At the time of "Animal Joy," Shearwater had recently relocated to Berlin and were working through a period of significant personnel changes.
Tracklist
