Animal

Dalton (the moniker of Nate Harar) is a project with few frills. As a follow-up to his well-received, self-titled debut in 2015, Animal features a handful of home-recorded tunes that feel as such. The approach is minimalist, but to call it lo-fi would seem misleading. The mixes stay low and condensed, as though the songs were trapped in a cup. Tracks like “Wood Frames” remain completely bare bones with layered vocals and simple guitar strums, and “Myanmar” maintains the same quiet mood while bringing in warm, rhythmic synths for the subtlest lifts. As can be the case with EPs, it’s hard to dive too deep with a mere five songs, but it’s an excellent appetizer, specifically the end tune “Radio Hill,” which has a folky serenity, even as Harar arcs over the buoyant guitar melody as he raises to the chorus, “Everyone we know is meant to die.” The songs don’t venture into any unexpected territory—no experimental interludes or pedal-laden decays—but instead feel as though they’ve found their place and stay there.