Today, Animal Collective are celebrating Bandcamp Friday with a new EP titled Bridge to Quiet. Additionally, they have shared their catalogue on Bandcamp, and they've amended a couple of racially insensitive elements from their discography.
First of all, the group have changed the name of their 2003 album Here Comes the Indian. It's now called Ark, which was the record's original working title.
In a statement on Instagram, Animal Collective wrote, "With utmost respect to Indigenous people we feel that having the word Indian in our record title sends the wrong message by objectifying the American Indian people which is not what we were intending with the music."
Moving forward, they will be donating a portion of royalties from that album to Seeding Sovereignty.
They've also changed the cover art of the 2007 EP People. Previously, it showed a Black nanny with two white children, but now it shows two wild cats.
The band wrote, "There is no way to excuse using a 'mammy' on our artwork, and so we have decided to remove it. We understand now that using a racist stereotype at all causes more damage than an explanation can repair, and we apologize."
From now on, they will donate a portion of royalties from the album to the Equal Justice Initiative.
You can find AC's full statement below.
Additionally, the group have announced a $10,000 donation split between five organizations campaigning for racial equality, plus all of today's Bandcamp sales. They have also reaffirmed their commitment to donate a portion of the earnings from their 2017 EP Meeting of the Waters; they will now be giving that money to Cultural Survival.
As for the brand new EP, Bridge to Quiet was pieced together from improv sessions in 2019 and 2020. They have now been remixed and collaged and turned into a four-song collection. Hear that below, and purchase it (along with the rest of Animal Collective's catalogue) over at Bandcamp.
Animal Collective are apparently now working on new material in the same vein as Bridge to Quiet.
First of all, the group have changed the name of their 2003 album Here Comes the Indian. It's now called Ark, which was the record's original working title.
In a statement on Instagram, Animal Collective wrote, "With utmost respect to Indigenous people we feel that having the word Indian in our record title sends the wrong message by objectifying the American Indian people which is not what we were intending with the music."
Moving forward, they will be donating a portion of royalties from that album to Seeding Sovereignty.
They've also changed the cover art of the 2007 EP People. Previously, it showed a Black nanny with two white children, but now it shows two wild cats.
The band wrote, "There is no way to excuse using a 'mammy' on our artwork, and so we have decided to remove it. We understand now that using a racist stereotype at all causes more damage than an explanation can repair, and we apologize."
From now on, they will donate a portion of royalties from the album to the Equal Justice Initiative.
You can find AC's full statement below.
Additionally, the group have announced a $10,000 donation split between five organizations campaigning for racial equality, plus all of today's Bandcamp sales. They have also reaffirmed their commitment to donate a portion of the earnings from their 2017 EP Meeting of the Waters; they will now be giving that money to Cultural Survival.
As for the brand new EP, Bridge to Quiet was pieced together from improv sessions in 2019 and 2020. They have now been remixed and collaged and turned into a four-song collection. Hear that below, and purchase it (along with the rest of Animal Collective's catalogue) over at Bandcamp.
Animal Collective are apparently now working on new material in the same vein as Bridge to Quiet.
