Fae Nageon de Lestang and Grant McLeod, the duo that performs as Animal Prince, met at a jam session in Gainesville, Florida. “I was playing violin in the University [of Florida] symphony orchestra, but I liked all kinds of music,” Nageon de Lestang said. “I complimented Grant’s playing, and we became friends. He was playing drums in a band called Flat Land and asked me to sit in. I soon joined the group. The music, and our relationship, grew from there.” After graduation, McLeod and Nageon de Lestang made Flat Land a full-time project. They toured vigorously, with all five members of the group contributing to the compositions they created. They called their style “funk pop,” a mixture of soul, blues, Latin and African impulses. They made one self-released album, Arrow to the Sun, before breaking up. “We got tired of touring and started looking for a new musical direction and a new home. A friend had relocated to Oakland. We moved here in 2017 and started working on Animal Prince,” Nageon de Lestang said. “Fae had been experimenting with electronic music,” McLeod said. “I played bossa nova, jazz, blues and other styles. I loved the way guitars, drums and pianos can interact with the voice. We had a piano in our home, so we bought synthesizers and recording equipment and started laying down tracks.” The band released an EP, Liquid Sights and Sounds, and planned to play live to promote it. Then the pandemic lockdown went into effect. Unable to perform, they began creating the songs that became Have Good Dreams.  “Bjork once said, ‘I like using art to present my vision of a better future,’” Nageon de Lestang stated. “We had a tour set to go for March, to promote our EP. Since we didn’t know if or when we were ever going to be able to tour again, we started writing songs to pass the time and process our feelings. As we worked, we took Bjork’s concept to heart. Cut off from the world, we experienced a lot of personal and musical growth. “It was a nice reprieve and helped us stay focused on making something positive, with all the chaos that was going on in the outside world,” Nageon de Lestang continued. “We kept experimenting with new ways of arranging, and began writing expansive instrumental parts and interludes. We drew on our love of ’60s and ’70s pop, the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, songs by the Brazilian composer Arthur Verocai, and David Axelrod’s fusion of jazz, soul and R&B.”   They composed the framework of the songs on piano, collaborating on the rhythms, melodies and chord structures, with Nageon de Lestang contributing the lyrics and vocals. As the songs evolved, they sent demos to friends who added sax, flute and classical harp. Oakland’s Paul Martin played acoustic and electric bass.  The music on Have Good Dreams is uplifting, even when dealing with the realities of the Covid years. A soft piano pulse and sustained synthesizer chords lay the foundation for “Red Mansion,” a ballad that describes looking through the window at the orange sky created by the California wildfires of 2020. “We were driving down the coast and didn’t see the sun for three days,” Nageon de Lestang said. Her vocals have a poignant quality as she wonders if she’ll make it home safely. “Impossible” rides a dark rhythm, with a touch of bossa nova, ’60s R&B and jazz. There’s a hint of doo-wop in Nageon de Lestang’s backing vocals, slowed down to a baritone pitch she describes as her “Darth Vader voice.” It describes the boredom and apprehension of being shuttered inside. Their friend Hunter Diamond’s flute, clarinet and sax fills intensify the song’s solitary atmosphere. They pick up the tempo on “Who Are You.” Martin’s bass and McLeod’s Brazilian percussion accents support Nageon de Lestang’s jazzy phrasing, as she describes a young woman headed out for a night on the town. The chorus kicks in with a lively disco beat, as Nageon de Lestang’s call-and-response vocals bring the song, and the album, to a stirring finish. “The music encapsulates our lives in Oakland,” McLeod said. “Being in the studio, recording and producing, felt like we were in the right place at the right time. It expanded our artistic vision and we want to honor that going forward.” ‘Have Good Dreams’ was released Sept.13. More info: animalprince.com.