Anderwelt returns with "Transanimalism," a short but weighty EP that does not stray too far from the band’s established formula of deep, intellectual, pointed satire. Extending over just two tracks and 16 minutes, 38 seconds, the release is more of a speculative transmission from some future that has gone weirdly sideways than a casual listen.
In typical Anderwelt style, "Transanimalism" takes the dystopian and societal questions that 2084 investigated but turns the lens in an entirely different direction. Instead of focusing on man, the EP paints a post-apocalyptic picture in which animals, specifically, inadvertently stumble upon transhumanist technology. The result could not be funnier or more disturbing, as superintelligent machines come into the possession, if one can call it that, of an endangered species, who end up raising profound questions of power, survival, and even evolution in a world beyond human control.
The title track, “Transanimalism,” shows the band’s brave and forward-thinking centre. It takes the EP’s speculative jumping-off point to its logical conclusion, tempering satire with a real sense of existential weight. The song feels expansive, asking listeners to ponder anew how intelligence, technology, dominance, and whatnot might be rethought when humankind is no longer at the center of things. The second track, “a+,” complements the EP by providing a different emotional axis throughout the futuristic tension. The two songs together create a natural and fully-realized narrative arc, which might explain why the short time span works so well, not for its brevity, but because it’s finally found an ending.
"Transanimalism" isn’t merely an EP, it’s a thought experiment. Once again, Anderwelt invites you to question where uncontrolled technological development might end and who or what will inherit its consequences. They achieve the difficult task of creating a world so evocative and unsettling in only two songs, one of which sticks long after that final minute has faded.