Things are getting very blue around here, and it’s all because of independent rock band Blueanimal. Hailing from the domain of Orlando, Fl., Blueanimal is the brainchild of lead vocalist and songwriter Luke Elms and bass guitarist Matt Lube. Their latest project, Figment That Was Me, marks the third album release from the band and features additional band members Luis Rexach on guitar and background vocals, Aaron Gandia on drums, and Ry Kovacevich, who plays guitar on the project, but is currently not in the band.
Blueanimal’s Figment That Was Me tackles the emo contentions of ’90s alt-rock music as the earthy grunge singing style of Elms permeates a mostly mid-tempo set of nine tracks.
The album’s debut was introduced with a disruptive precursor of sorts, titled “Rock Bottom.” Released in the Spring of 2021, “Rock Bottom” presents itself as a slow dripping of emotions that morphs into a running faucet of introspective admissions.
As the title implies, the melodic synchronization of traditional rock instrumentation and a simple lyrical concept does well to prep listeners for a different side of Blueanimal — one that appreciates the art of oversharing. In this case, Blueanimal pinpoints the war within, depression. Elms speaks on why the band decided to go in this direction.
“Our world is in the midst of a pandemic of Covid-19,” Elms said. “But, an epidemic that was present before Covid, and will unfortunately still be raging after, is the epidemic of mental health issues and the struggles of public perception, awareness, and stigma that comes along with it.”
Watch the Official Visual for “Rock Bottom”
Blueanimal definitely delivers on expressing the ails of mental health. The album kickstarts with Elm singing in a lower octave, nearly baritone, before upping to a higher range in “On My Mind.” The duality of the song is yet another example of how Blueanimal is able to combine a series of emotions all on one track, landing an unpredictable sound that’s like no other in recent times.
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Standout track “What Does It All Mean” has mass genre appeal. Along with alt-rock, the slow to mid-tempo arrangement can easily translate as contemporary christian (with a few word changes) or country. Riddled with a universal message of finding oneself in the midst of uncertainty, “What Does It All Mean” offers redemption and hope in the most unsuspecting way. And it’s refreshing.
Watch The Official Visual for “What Does It All Mean”
Through and through, Figment That Was Me plays on the emotions of the human experience. It questions the man (or woman), the mind, and the soul.
“Our new project Figment That Was Me is a departure from our previous albums’ sound to a more grunge inspired sound,” Elms continues. “I wrote this album as a concept album telling the story of a person descending into and rising out of a battle with depression and the consequences it has on his relationships, self-image, and all facets of his life.”
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It’s a perfect derivative of a career that now consists of three albums, including the band’s 2015 debut Hippies & Beauty Queens and 2018’s Hollow Heart, which features Blueanimal’s No. 1 bestseller “Climbing” and critically-praised hit “Follow the Hard.” The more traditional rock centered Hollow Heart is one-half of a two-part project in which Blueanimal worked at the same time, with Figment That Was Me being the second half.
Elms continues, “My hope is this album can help take people on a journey through this character’s struggle that will allow those that have fortunately not experienced mental health issues to gain a better understanding and those that are currently struggling to not feel so alone.”
Figment That Was Me is available now on music streaming services, such as Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube.
