This 22-minute Animal Collective epic is an unapologetic ode to perseverance and hope, to “staying grounded like the spruce” when the very land seems to shift beneath us. Recorded in three phases by Russell Elevado (D’Angelo, Alicia Keys, Al Green) in the analogue wonderland of The Bunker, ‘Defeat’ springs from that hurdy-gurdy haze into a pop explosion, suggesting fight music for our shared future. The song’s slow-motion finale feels like a fantasia vision of what’s to come—a quieter place where we can thrive together, not apart. This is the beautiful and redemptive saga of the Animal Collective condensed into one unforgettable suite, a song for holding fast even as the world spins ahead, ever faster.