Zoo Animal performs in The Current studio

St. Paul, Minn. — Holly Newsom describes Zoo Animal's new Departure EP as more observational than philosophical, and it's easy to discern how different the band is today compared to a year ago, fully cognizant of major changes which have altered the act's path. The title of the EP is blunt upon deeper inspection: Zoo Animal has dealt with the departure of two members, the addition of two rotating casts of local musicians, and a further departure in sound that Newsom has taken her songs which now find themselves steeped in beautiful minimalism.

Through all of this, Newsom has released a collection of complex and sentimental recordings, without a doubt the most fully-realized and mature compositions of her career. And yet her band is still supremely underrated, perhaps the result of a front-woman not so concerned with the limelight, but instead committed to investigating her thoughts and relaying them in the most personal way possible.

Songs performed: "Laying and Lying," "Out In The Ocean," and "Black and Charred."

Guests

• Zoo Animal