Toronto rock musician Emily Mac has released “Animal,” the latest single from her debut EP, ROCK N ROLL ANIMAL, adding a playful and provocative finale to a project rooted in classic rock influences, personal relationships and modern themes.
The new track shifts away from some of the EP’s heavier reflections on heartbreak and difficult relationships. Instead, “Animal” takes a more mischievous approach, focusing on attraction, confidence and the expectation that partners should put genuine effort into relationships.
“Animal” Emerges From an Uncertain Personal Moment
Mac began writing “Animal” after an ex-partner re-entered her life during what she described as an emotionally confusing period. She subsequently travelled to her mother’s remote cottage on an island in Northern Ontario, where she worked online with Los Angeles-based co-writer Jay Stolar.
Rather than building the song around heartbreak, the pair developed lyrics centred on knowing what someone wants from a relationship. The track opens with the line, “Heard you say you think you love me, heard you said it in your sleep,” before moving toward its central refrain: “Late at night I wanna man who’s an animal.”
Another section directly criticizes a partner who expects affection without making an equal effort.
“Taking everything you want, never doing a lick of work, buddy you’re a lazy lover, getting what you deserve,” Mac sings.
“It’s a hell of a zinger,” Mac says. “I find it super unattractive when a man is lazy and expects all your love and affection in return. People who show up and care and put effort in, those are the sexy people.”
Toronto Recording Sessions Bring Classic Rock Influences to the Track
“Animal” was recorded at Noble Street Studios in Toronto and at producer Dajaun Martineau’s home studio. Martineau also mixed the track, while Theresa Gemma handled engineering and Noah Mintz completed mastering at Lacquer Channel Mastering.
The recording features Ben Healey on guitar, Stacey Shopsowitz on bass and Robert Sibony on drums.
Distinctive Guitar Part Adds to the Song’s Sound
One unusual element of the recording was a guitar part designed to resemble the sound of a cat.
“When recording the guitar part in the studio with my producer Dajaun Martineau and guitar player Ben Healey, I thought it would be cool to add a guitar part that sounded like a cat,” she says. “I’m so happy with how it turned out. Makes the song sound even wilder.”
Mac’s musical influences on “Animal” include several well-known rock and soul recordings. The guitar work draws inspiration from Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady,” while the bridge incorporates a vocal approach influenced by Aretha Franklin’s “Dr. Feelgood.”
“I used to cover this song and thought it would be really cool to add some sexy soul music to a rock song,” Mac says.
She also credits the collaboration with Stolar for helping establish the track’s playful character.
“We’d come up with a line, and I’d start giggling, like, can we do that in this song? And that’s what makes it so rock n roll, we were rebelling, pushing buttons and having fun. A song is always more fun when it feels a little dangerous.”
Music Video Extends the Song’s Wild Aesthetic
The accompanying music video was created with Hamilton-based photographer and director Andrea Hunter, with outdoor sequences filmed at Surface Farm Studios.
The production incorporates animal-inspired imagery, including live snakes handled by a professional wrangler.
“I grew up never really having a fear of snakes,” Mac says. “I knew I wanted real live snakes in the music video and photos for the song.”
Mac also used a spiked cat mask sourced from Toronto costume shop Candy’s Costumes, combining it with animal-print clothing and rock-inspired styling.
Debut EP Builds on Emily Mac’s Growing Audience
ROCK N ROLL ANIMAL marks Mac’s debut EP and blends classic-rock elements with contemporary themes, including difficult relationships and broader anxieties. The project arrives as the Toronto performer works to expand her audience at home and internationally.
According to the release, Mac’s music has accumulated more than 100,000 collective streams, with listeners in 103 countries.
Her live-performance history includes Toronto venues such as the Opera House, El Mocambo and Horseshoe Tavern, as well as New York City stages including The Bitter End and Rockwood Music Hall.
With “Animal” serving as the closing track, ROCK N ROLL ANIMAL presents a final burst of the guitar-driven sound and assertive songwriting that define Mac’s debut project.