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Vanessa Carlton’s back at the keys – except that she’s departed in terms of sound from her iconic, memorable A Thousand Miles (2002), known for its rapid-rolling piano riff. In Animal, I’m guessing Carlton is asking the listener to decide for himself/herself who the supposed animal is, as mentioned in the song. It is Carlton’s unique way of exploring the tension between instinct and awareness. Carlton says that she’s being hunted – not surprising considering the two sides to her public life as a singer-songwriter, pianist and actress. Fans and non-fans will always have things to say. At the same time, Carlton has come to accept that she cannot control outside forces – no matter what she does to suppress/handle them. If you’re not being hunted, are you otherwise hunting? After all, within every human, surely there lives an animal. In essence, Animal serves its purpose by getting you to ask thought-provoking questions, to which the answer may not come to you immediately/be as straightforward.

While the piano sounds may be much softer in this latest single, she does more than enough to acknowledge her capacity as a pianist and being influenced by someone well-known in the world of piano/music by name dropping the late French composer Debussy in the lyrics to show that she knows her value and is cherished.

The brassy horn arrangement is a standout element of this song, which also has Carlton’s layered vocals. These two work well to make the song of grand scale yet quiet.

Available on YouTube, the audio version has been out since 11 November 2025. Her latest single will be part of a full album, Veils, slated to be out in early 2026.

Till you find out who’s the animal in this, happy listening!