Animal

The song

‘Animal’ is a KATSEYE single released on 24 July 2026. The album introduction carried on Bugs calls it “a bold, flirtatious pop anthem that celebrates embracing your wild side” and says that, “driven by punchy rhythms and an infectious hook, the track radiates confidence and chemistry”. The same text credits Ed Sheeran as a co-writer and says the song “explores the tension between the polished version of ourselves we present to the world and the uninhibited energy that emerges behind closed doors”.

The introduction credits the music video to Cody Critcheloe, who directed the group’s ‘Touch’ and ‘Gnarly’ videos, and notes an appearance by the actor Demi Moore.

The song went on to the group’s third mini album, WILD, as its second track on 14 August 2026, three weeks later. That record opens with the April single PINKY UP.

Reviews

Larisha Paul wrote in Rolling Stone on 3 August 2026: “Their latest single, ‘Animal,’ penned by Ed Sheeran alongside Johnny McDaid and producers Omer Fedi and Blake Slatkin, is one of their best.” She went on: “It’s not an incredibly ambitious song, but it’s catchy and spirited enough to not come across as predictable — and it gives them a real shot at longevity in the pop arena.”

The same piece reads the chorus this way: “But when the chorus kicks in over plucky acoustic guitars, any number of Sheeran singles spring to mind: ‘Sing,’ ‘Azizam,’ ‘I Don’t Care.’” Of the words it says: “It’s classic boots-on-the-ground reporting from the dance floor, a pretty hard trope to mess up in pop.” Her case for the writing credit is put plainly: “Sheeran knows how to write a pop hit that sticks, even when it’s not for himself.”

How it came about

By Rolling Stone’s account, Sheeran set out on Instagram how he came to write the song. “I was in Mexico and loved it,” he wrote. “Said I was a fan and reached out to them to see if I could write them a song.”

On the livestream held the evening the song came out, the members set it beside the single before it. Daniela, as the same piece quotes her: “‘Pinky Up’ is more like a rave in the club.” She added: “But ‘Animal’ is more like you’ll listen to it at the grocery store, in the car on the radio, or you’ll hear it at the mall just walking around.”