Animal (Katseye song)

On July 20, 2026, Katseye announced that they would release "Animal", the second single for their third EP, Wild, on July 24.^[1][2][3] The announcement was accompanied by a teaser depicting the members wearing suits in an office building, with the word "freaky" written on member Megan Skiendiel's red nails.^[4][5] They hosted an official countdown event on YouTube, just moments shortly before its premiere.^[6]

On July 28, Ed Sheeran revealed that he first reached out to Katseye after listening to "Gnarly" during the previous year, noting that he was a fan and expressed interest on collaborating with the group. He then shared a behind-the-scenes clip on social media showing the song's creation process.^[7] Skiendiel also mentioned that they first heard about the song when they met Sheeran at the 2025 NRJ Music Awards, stating they were "fully in" and describing the experience of working together as "so great and we couldn't be happier with how it turned out."^[8]

The song has been commonly described as "throwback R&B"^[9] and pop, with a "flirtatious" theme.^[10][11] Lyrically, it explores the contrast between one's professional persona in public, and their uninhibited nature literally behind closed doors.^[9][10][11] The production also includes plucky acoustic guitars.^[12] It runs at a tempo of 150 BPM (beats per minute). It is written in the key of C-Minor with a 4/4 time signature.

Euphoria Magazine regarded the song as suitable for "car radio as easily as a festival stage" without compromising the "vocal chemistry" of Katseye and also praised its emotional impact, noting that although the song uses a common theme, the group "sells it through sheer vocal conviction rather than lyrical originality".^[13] Larisha Paul of Rolling Stone considered it one of the group's best songs, describing it as "catchy and spirited enough to not come across as predictable", and attributed the song's quality to Ed Sheeran's songwriting.^[12] Nylon named "Animal" one of the best songs released that week, with Jillian Giandurco writing that the track "feels like a return to form for Katseye: no gimmicks, no rage bait, just a straightforward, solid pop song."^[14] Alex Harris of Neon Music called it "their strongest pop single yet", drawing comparisons to "Toxic" by Britney Spears and their previous single "Gabriela".^[15]

The music video was released alongside the song. It was directed by Cody Critcheloe, who had previously worked with the group on music videos for notable hits such as "Touch", "Gnarly" and "Iconic by Mistake".^[16] The plot begins with Katseye performing before a conference room of male business executives, who are played by the members, and are initially unimpressed with their performance. After witnessing their headshots being torn apart, the group frantically searches a packed closet for the perfect outfit in a chaotic sequence, possibly in fear of rejection. Actress Demi Moore then observes them, rejects their choices and offers her own fashion advice. She tells them to "get Wild", after which the Katseye members' suits quickly transform into sparkly outfits and start dancing once more, this time to success.^{[6][10][13][17]}

'Animal' was used in promotional material for the 2026 Marvel Studios film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.^[18][19]

Credits are adapted from Apple Music.^[20]