Chicago-based band Post Animal has left its mark on the local music scene with its unique take on modern psychedelic rock. The band’s debut album When I Think of You in a Castle was released April 20, bringing new music into its tour, which ended June 30.

 The band performed at Lollapalooza during the summer and have upcoming performances in Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan and Kentucky, all before coming home to Chicago Dec. 15, where the band will perform at the Metro, 3730 N. Clark St.

Jake Hirshland, guitarist and keyboardist who also delves into vocals, spoke with The Chronicle about Post Animal’s psychedelic influences and the band’s goalsand upcoming performances.

The Chronicle: As a Chicago-based band, is it special to come back and perform in this city?

Hirshland: I don’t want to speak for everyone [but it’s] my favorite place to play. It’s always the best shows here.

How long did it take to record When I Think Of You In A Castle?

We recorded 90 percent of the instruments in eight days. There was a lot of time [spent] writing and demoing on our own before we linked up to do the actual recording. For a few months after that we worked on vocals.

Is there a favorite song you like to perform from the new album?

Hirshland: I love playing “Gelatin Mode.” We’ve been playing it for a long time, but it still has this exciting vibe for me on stage. I get all the benefits of playing something forever and feeling really comfortable playing it.

Are there any bands that have inspired your sound

There’s so many bands. We all have our different inspirations, and there are staples that all of us love, like The Beatles, Pink Floyd and your classic psych-prog bands. If I’m speaking for myself [but] there’s a lot of the Australian modern-psych movement [that] is really interesting. I like electronic music, a lot of pop music, too, so it’s just [listening] to everything and trying and take a little bit of advice from everybody.

How do you separate yourselves from psych-rock of the 60s and 70s while also incorporating modern aspects of the genre?

I don’t know if it’s such a conscious pursuit to do that, but in my situation, I listen to more modern music than I do old music. I would say the modern stuff has a lot more power over me as far as influence goes. For the most part, you’re just trying to do something that’s honest to you and honest to the feeling you’re trying to achieve.

What goals does the band have for the upcoming year?

Hirshland: We really want to keep touring; we have some exciting  plans in the live area of things that we’re hoping become realities. We’re going to write more music, so we’ll see what that turns into.