Released on Sept. 23, God Save The Animals is Alex G’s first studio release since 2019’s House of Sugar, making this his 8th studio album. This album was a rollercoaster from start to finish, with several genre changes throughout the album. 

The album kicks off with “After All.” What starts off as an enjoyable indie-folk song with a nice acoustic guitar groove is very quickly ruined by shrill, heavily autotuned vocals that don’t fit the vibe at all. The instrumentals on this track are so good, but it’s not worth listening to if the vocals are unpleasant. There are other tracks on the album ruined by these nasally vocals such as “S.D.O.S,” “Cross the Sea,” and “Immunity.” Save yourself the listen.

On a lighter note, the third track of the album, “Mission,” is definitely one of Alex G’s best. If a chilly, fall morning drive was a song, “Mission” would be that song. The varying use of vocals in this song gives it so much emotion, as if it were being sung from different points in the narrator’s life. Molly Germer as a featured vocalist also offers a different perspective on this song, making it seem like she’s reassuring Alex G, or possibly offering advice. There’s a point in the song where Alex G sings further away from the microphone with a more raw, emotional tone, almost like he’s breaking down and pleading for help. All of these artistic choices tie in to help make “Mission” the absolute masterpiece that it is.

The rest of the album doesn’t live up to “Mission.” Track 5, “No Bitterness” is the only other track that comes anywhere close, but like “After All,” it’s sadly and quickly ruined by the use of autotune. The beginning of “No Bitterness” is close to perfect, reminiscent of midwest emo legends like American Football or Modern Baseball. Again, it’s ruined by this weird upbeat, dance-y feel around the 2:20 mark. 

“Ain’t it Easy” takes the opposite road. Instead of having a good song ruined by autotune later in it, Alex G instead decides to start the song with the weird autotune. The track gets better though. The instrumentals and vocals are similar to that of Sufjan Stevens’ Carrie & Lowell, which is a classic within the indie community.

 “Miracles,” the second to last song on the album, is also reminiscent of Stevens’ earlier music. There’s surprisingly no autotune on “Miracles,” which makes it an easy listen. 

God Save The Animals is, again, an absolute rollercoaster of an album. It had the potential to be a fantastic album, but the overuse of autotune took that potential and curb stomped it. There are some songs that are enjoyable, but nothing to compare to Alex G’s earlier music. Alex G’s experimental approach to God Save The Animals can be appreciated to an extent, but it’s not for the casual listener.