Vanessa Carlton is stepping into a wild new era with her spellbinding new single “Animal,” produced by Dave Fridmann, known for his visionary work with MGMT and Flaming Lips. The track, out now, gives fans an early glimpse of her upcoming album Veils, set for release in early 2026. Both visceral and haunting, “Animal” showcases Carlton’s poetic storytelling and deep creative intuition.
Carlton describes “Animal” as a meditation on stoicism, exploring what it means to surrender to forces beyond our control. “The idea of knowing we cannot control external forces; she is being hunted and she accepts the reality of what is happening,” she says. “The acceptance allows her to truly see the animal. Does she even identify with this creature? Every human has an animal within them. Are you hunting? Are you being hunted? Who is the animal?” It’s a stunning piece that captures the tension between instinct and awareness, human and beast.
Carlton’s artistry has always been defined by fearless transformation. From her discovery by music legend Ahmet Ertegun to the global impact of her debut hit “A Thousand Miles,” which topped the Billboard charts and earned multiple Grammy nominations, she has continued to shape her career with bold curiosity.
In recent years, she’s crossed artistic boundaries with remarkable grace. VICE’s documentary on “A Thousand Miles” even earned a 2022 News & Documentary Emmy nomination, further cementing the song’s cultural legacy. Carlton made her Broadway debut as Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical in 2019 and recently scored her first film, Wish You Were Here, alongside her husband John McCauley of Deer Tick for director Julia Stiles.
“Animal” is the sound of an artist fully in her element—instinctive, intuitive, and endlessly evolving. With Veils on the horizon, Vanessa Carlton continues to remind listeners of the magic that happens when vision and vulnerability collide.