Isn't It Now?

Isn't It Now? represents a significant milestone in Animal Collective's discography, serving as a companion piece to 2022's Time Skiffs but leaning much further into long-form, organic experimentation. Recorded with producer Russell Elevado at The Bunker, the album captures the band playing together in a room, a process that highlights their chemistry and the natural acoustics of their instruments. The album is notable for containing 'Defeat', a 22-minute track that had been a staple of their live sets for years before finally being committed to tape. Critics, including those at AllMusic, noted the album's sophisticated arrangements and its shift away from the dense electronic layering of their mid-career work toward a more 'classic' psychedelic rock and art-pop sound. It stands as their longest studio album to date, emphasizing a patient, improvisational energy that aligns more with progressive rock and spiritual jazz than their freak-folk roots.