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One of the beautiful things about friendships is how they evolve over time. There are friends we have from childhood and maintain for our whole lives, while others we have for a period of life, and then we drift apart. Some friends we drift apart from, but then return to and pick up right where we left off. This reconnection of friends is exactly what happened with Chicago-born rock band Post Animal. The band began as a group of six; Dalton Allison, Jake Hirshland, Javi Reyes, Wesley Toledo, Matt Williams, and Joe Keery. In 2017, as Keery’s acting career began to take off, he parted ways with the band. In 2024, all six original members of Post Animal reunited for the first time in seven years. The sextet spent several weeks in the woods of Indiana, sharing ideas and taking turns recording lead vocals. The weeks of hard work and rekindling of friendship resulted in Iron, which Hirshland described as “a revitalization of our friendships and our band.” 

The album’s opener, “Malcolm’s Cooking,” immediately sets the tone for Iron. The simple instrumental song mainly features a plucking acoustic guitar and synths, but it also features the chirping of nature and in the final moments, the voices of Post Animal saying “cheers” and the clinking of bottles. It’s easy to picture Post Animal tucked away in the woods of Indiana, taking a moment to celebrate their work on Iron.  

While “Malcolm’s Cooking” displays a range of emotions without lyrics, Post Animal has things to say. The album continues on “Last Goodbye,” the lead single of the album. Set to a subdued instrumentation of soft drums and synths, “Last Goodbye” centers on the moment of realization that something is coming to an end. Opening with the lyrics “I don’t dream what I dreamed back then / I just feel what I feel right now,” it’s immediately clear that this is a song about change and the discomfort around change. This feeling is only emphasized by the lyrics in the chorus as Post Animal sings “Staying on 5th tonight / I got a feeling like it’s feeling like the last time / Last goodbye and it don’t feel right / So what are we going to do tonight?” The theme of relationships ending continues in “Maybe You Have To.” Bookended by voicemails from Toledo’s late abuela, “Maybe You Have To,” reflects on the difficulty of loss when you’re not ready to say goodbye and coming to terms with death.  

As the album progresses, Post Animal pulls themselves out of the grief of “Maybe You Have To” and enters the brightness of “Setting Sun.” Opening with a peppy drum roll which turns into a steady beat accompanied by synths, “Setting Sun” is full of energy and ambition. This ambition is emphasized by the lyrics as Post Animal sings “Hit the gas speed it up / It’s time to make up for the years spent idlin’ / Done givin’ in / And tryna be somebody I never knew,” and “It’s a setting sun / Always movin’ / always changin’ / passin’ by / Like a setting sun / Still burning / just around the other side / It’s a setting sun / Always movin’ / always changin’ / passin’ by / Like a setting sun / Still burning.” The energy continues in “Pie in the Sky,” a Beatles-esque, bright song that features an upbeat, repeating electric guitar riff throughout. The passion is palpable and the song highlights who Post Animal is: a group of friends having fun and making music.  

Iron highlights the growth that Post Animal has gone through over the years, and they reflect on their growth in “What’s A Good Life.” While this may be a daunting question, Post Animal has found the answer. A good life is one where you accept yourself for who you are. The self assured lyrics highlight this philosophy as they sing “For the first time in my life / It’s fine that I’m not perfect / Nobody’s fool / Nobody’s cool / It’s who you are.” Post Animal shows off their musical chops once again in the instrumental “Main Menu” before diving into a psych pop moment with “Dorien Kregg.”  

As the album comes to a close with “Common Denominator” and the titular “Iron,” Post Animal takes a step back from the surrealism of “Dorein Kregg,” and settles into a reflective moment. The two songs feature softer instrumentations, with acoustic guitar and gentle vocals in “Common Denominator,” and piano and hazy vocals in “Iron.” 

The reunion of Post Animal is a delight for fans, both new and old. Luckily for fans, the rest of the year is set to be busy for Post Animal. They will join Keery, also known as Djo, as the opener on his fall tour. While no longer a touring member of Post Animal, Keery will occasionally join Post Animal for a few songs. Post Animal also has their own headline tour scheduled for November and December.