At the start of this year, Toronto musician Animalia unleashed a new single named "Paradise," and now she's teamed up with fellow Torontonian and Beliefs ringleader Josh Korody for a brand new track called "This Is Real."
The song draws inspiration from the trial and subsequent not guilty verdict in the sexual assault cases against Jian Ghomeshi. The elaborately layered track gives listeners a lot to take in, but it's Animalia's evocative, exasperated chants of "I can't believe this is real" that hit hardest.
"When the news broke about the Ghomeshi trial, I at first didn't feel a thing," she tells Exclaim! "I had long ago given up on the law system to provide any kind of justice and this was just one more example. But the more I thought about it, the angrier I became. This verdict sent victims of abuse a very cruel message: Either say something and go through hell or don't say anything, and go through hell, it's up to you. When Josh and I got together to do this track, the lyrical content came together in a matter of minutes. I feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity to express my frustrations through this song and I hope others will get something out of it too."
Hear her poignant, impassioned reaction by giving "This Is Real" a spin below.
Animalia's latest LP (dissonance) is out now, and her next live show is slated for May 6 at the Soho House as part of Toronto's Canadian Music Week.
The song draws inspiration from the trial and subsequent not guilty verdict in the sexual assault cases against Jian Ghomeshi. The elaborately layered track gives listeners a lot to take in, but it's Animalia's evocative, exasperated chants of "I can't believe this is real" that hit hardest.
"When the news broke about the Ghomeshi trial, I at first didn't feel a thing," she tells Exclaim! "I had long ago given up on the law system to provide any kind of justice and this was just one more example. But the more I thought about it, the angrier I became. This verdict sent victims of abuse a very cruel message: Either say something and go through hell or don't say anything, and go through hell, it's up to you. When Josh and I got together to do this track, the lyrical content came together in a matter of minutes. I feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity to express my frustrations through this song and I hope others will get something out of it too."
Hear her poignant, impassioned reaction by giving "This Is Real" a spin below.
Animalia's latest LP (dissonance) is out now, and her next live show is slated for May 6 at the Soho House as part of Toronto's Canadian Music Week.
