Armadillo Petting Zoo, a band created by senior June Griffith, released their latest album titled “Dog Cat Mouse Infinity,” on Oct. 8. The album is split into 4 discs, with the longest song being over 25 minutes. I really enjoyed this album, the slow pacing was pleasant, and the instruments that were utilized sounded amazing. The album features strong themes of camaraderie and appreciation for loved ones.
My favorite song off the album was the second track, titled “Come on Over,” which is a thoughtful song that describes the singer’s experience in friendships. The lyrics “Come on over and we can talk some more/About the people that we miss,” encapsulate the feeling of having to move on from people or parts of life that have long since passed, and the singer voices experiences with the person they’re longing for with the lines “stumbling through the park/you leaning on me/stars twinkling through the dark/oh what could’ve been.” This song is a beautiful depiction how friendships can impact life, and it resonated with me purely because of the personal connection I felt with the lyricism. This song perfectly encapsulates the feeling of nostalgia, with the audience looking back at simpler, easier times, especially with the lyrics “Come on over and we can hang out on the floor/just like how it used to be/Come on over and we can talk some more/just you and me.”
The album also featured lighter, sillier tunes, like “(Meow Song),” a song that is simply a minute of meowing with a piano playing behind it. Tracks like this lighten the overall mood of the album, and allow a sillier side to seep into Griffith’s music while maintaining the album’s continuity.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the album also contains several somber songs. The songs “Prelude to Infinity,” “The General, The King” and “Questions in a World of Blue,” have a more melancholic tone to them, and allow for the expression of more complex emotions that a person may experience, such as nostalgia, longing, and loneliness.
The final song on the album, “Infinity,” is over 25 minutes long, and it closes out the album well. The song is primarily slow and melancholic, with lyrics that express feelings of emptiness and discontent. Because it’s over 25 minutes, at first glance it may seem long or dragged out, but the buildup and instrumental throughout the song gives it an allure that entices one to listen completely. The majority of “Infinity” is intrumental, with most of the lyrics focused towards the beginning of the song.
Overall, this album’s lyrics and music were fantastic, and it contained several important themes. I love that Griffith leaves their music entirely up to the interpretation of the listener. “Dog Cat Mouse Infinity” left me thinking significantly deeper about the way my friendships have impacted my life. I felt connected with the lyrics, and the way it made me feel while listening to it significantly impacted my interpretation of certain verses. Altogether, I enjoyed this album and I’m excited to see what music Griffith creates in the future.