No Such Animal: Amusingly Human

Originally written March 11, 2023; unpublished until July 2023 with minor changes

No Such Animal at Festival of Fools April 2023

I met Finn Morrison, lead singer and songwriter for the Provo-based band No Such Animal, long before No Such Animal was even a thing. (The group would actually ask for band name suggestions during their sets.) It was a HOT summer day and the warehouse-turned-venue we were in was easily 93 degrees inside, so naturally he and his brother were selling snow cones in the back when they weren't on stage. It was goofy, but the music was good, and the guys were friendly, so it just kinda made sense. The best way I’ve heard their sound described is if Green Day started in Utah, though others have compared them to The Killers, Muse, and an angrier Two Door Cinema Club.

Like I said, No Such Animal wasn’t always a band. Finn began composing a few years after learning to play guitar. His parents’ tastes were diverse, so his musical influences were too. After moving to Utah, he played a show in early 2021 at Orem’s Boardwalk that sold so well the owner invited him back for more. I met him through a mutual friend who was also performing a few shows after that (shoutout to DōngSoo). He actually credits the pandemic with some of the group’s momentum, suggesting that people just wanted to get out and see live music and he happened to catch it at the right time.

Since evolving from a solo project to a fully-fledged band, No Such Animal has seen some rotation in members. Finn chalks it up to just young people going different directions and emphasized that it rarely comes from bad feelings or ill will; creative people are just always moving. His wife Ella and drummer Max have helped keep a sense of stability while he has learned how to bounce ideas around with other people. Finn met lead guitarist Cole Harris at Guitar Center and was immediately impressed with his skills. “In the musician’s world, [asking to jam] is like asking a girl out on a date… cause music is so emotional, you know? .. It’s kinda weird, a bit personal.” Despite the initial musical butterflies, Cole was a perfect fit and has been an integral part of the songwriting process in some of the group’s biggest tracks.

If it feels like ‘connection’ is the theme of No Such Animal, that’s because it probably is. For Finn, everything in music feels like it’s inherently about coming together. “There’s no other way to connect people like music,” he told me. By taking the power of language and adding an extra dimension beyond words, he said music creates create a space that people can’t help communicating in. Powerful artistic language plus melody equals connection. Boom. Even if it isn’t always what comes out, that’s the ultimate goal with everything the band does. Live shows are about connecting to the audience and fellow fans. Social media is about connecting to the audience meaningfully and authentically. Just being with fans in general is about legitimately trying to get to know people and enjoy life with them. I can attest that he and the rest of No Such Animal spend a great deal of time after a show laughing and geeking out with everyone in the audience.

This connection is one of the reasons the reasons that No Such Animal have been so successful in the local music scene. Finn said, “I’m not taking notes … to make [people] like me or whatever. It’s just because I like to connect with people… and people who don’t see that as valuable don’t get very far.” Plenty of bands and artists try to shortcut this, but according to him, that just doesn’t work. For example, The Velour “is a pretty coveted venue by many local artists, and we play there live a lot… There’s a lot of people who are like, ‘hey, can you get us a Velour show’ and I’m like, no.” Finn explained that nothing he does will help those groups get where they want if they haven’t gone through the steps of getting to know and respect the local scene and built that repertoire genuinely.

All in all, it’s about celebrating the good that comes from being together. It’s about losing your voice and pouring sweat in front of 200 people, then heading to Denny’s to laugh about Leslie Nielsen movies. It’s about connection.

If you need a place to start with No Such Animal, Finn’s personal favorite is 'Runaway'. He says it's arguably the most vulnerable for himself individually, and the writing was a big moment of relief for him. Along with that, I love 'Afraid to Die' and 'Painted Faces', though you can't really go wrong with any of their stuff. Also, if you're in the Provo/Orem area, consider trying one of their live shows! After all, any time you go to show, there is immediately something you have in common with everyone else there that helps with the (say it with me) connection.

No Such Animal's debut album Painted Faces

Note: This was an assignment in my Writing About Music class. We were instructed to interview a local artist and share what made them special. In addition to describing the sound and physical aspects of the artist, we were to tie the musicians to larger ideas and concepts beyond music. Target 500-750 words.