The Animal In Me's Laura Talks the Meaning Behind Words Plus Action

Metalcore outfit The Animal In Me are based out of San Francisco, California, with dueling male and female vocalists, the band is often described as "If Paramore and Memphis May Fire released a collaborative album" by fans and friends alike. That said, the band has released a debut EP then of course found themselves on tour, playing shows here and there. All of this has lead down, to them self-releasing their debut full-length "Words + Actions", causing more touring and shows to commence with further plans on even more tunes! Frontwomen vocalist Laura Vierra discusses this release and plans ahead!


1.Let's talk a little about the history of the band. When did you originally form and is this the original line-up?

Laura: We started doing music together in late 2011. We became The Animal In Me in 2012. Shane, Daniel, and I are the three original members. We have friends play drums and guitar for us on tour. Our original drummer Nay still tours with us frequently even though he is not a member full time.

2. Do you remember how the idea of forming the band first came up?

Laura: Shane and I used to play acoustic shows around town, malls, coffee shops etc. We started writing heavier music and wanted to get a band together. Shane and Daniel worked together and that's how Daniel started playing bass. Both have been in previous bands and know a lot of musicians. It wasn't long until we had a full line up.

3. How did the name of the band come into the picture and does the name refer to what it says, The Animal In Me. Are you referring to something like there is an animal in all of us type of thing?

Laura: We were originally called Deadlines and Diamonds, a year into playing our managers at the time wanted us to change our name. As long as they didn't want us to change the music we were cool with it. Nay being a big Mötley Crüe fan came up with The Animal in Me. And yes, we think everyone has some sort of 'animal' drive, passion within them!

4. What's with the dueling male and female vocalists? Why go with this concept and do you think it suits the band well or would you want to stick to one style over the other?

Laura: TAIM wouldn't be a band without our two vocals. If we were to choose one over the other, than we'd be an entirely different project. Shane also sings, so live we do harmonies together as well. I mean, I tried kicking him out but we live together so it was kind of tough haha just kidding. But I wouldn't have it any other way! We love our music.

5. What is your latest album and why should people buy it?

Laura: Our new album Words + Actions actually drops July 28th! We are beyond excited and can't wait! It has the heaviness and catchiness of TAIM that our fans are familiar with, but it also has great ballads and pop aspects as well. We hope people respond well to it!

6. Where did you record your latest release at? Who was chosen to produce the record?

Laura: We recorded our new album at our home studio, Monsterbox Studios. Shane actually records and produces all of our music!

7. Tell us about your experience in the studio recording the new record? Do you think the band was comfortable in the studio?

Laura: We put a lot of hard work into this new album. We were on a time crunch since we were only home for a month in between tours. We worked day and night to write and record everything before we had to leave, on top of creating the art work and ordering all of copies, since the release date is while we're on the road. Shane was literally sick from lack of sleep, and I work 40 hours a week at home. So our schedule was crazy before we hit the road! Not the ideal circumstance but we made it happen!

8. How would you say that the title and album art relate to the music on the album?

Laura: We've had an accidental yet continuing theme with our cd art work. Our first full length Who's Laughing Now, we saw mannequins outside of a dumpster and Shane snapped some pictures of them. He was able to photo shop the images to look awesome! We did the same for our sophomore album Words + Actions.

9. What's your favorite song on the album right now?

Laura: My favorite song off of our new album has to be 'Chasing Dreams'. It's a great ballad that our fans will be surprised by I think, and the lyrics are very personal for me. You'll have to check it out when it's released!

10. What does "Words + Actions" mean to you all?

Laura: We've dealt with a lot of people in this business who say one thing and do the exact opposite. Actions speak louder than words as we all know. So we simply titled our new release Words + Actions.

11. How about shows and touring, what are the plans for partaking in this line of activity?

Laura: We're on our 13 tour now and have played many shows. We are so blessed to travel around and share our music! We have our own van and trailer to travel in which is a must. Maybe one day we'll have a bus!

12. What other plans do you have for this year?

Laura: We definitely plan on touring off of our new release. No set plans yet when we get home from the Crossroads Tour, but we have some things in the works!

13. Any last words for the friends and fans out there?

Laura: We are so thankful to all of our fans friends and families who have supported us! We hope to continue to tour and write music for as long as we can! TAIM THE WORLD!