GLASS ANIMALS

If you are unfamiliar with synesthesia, the concept of seeing colours while hearing certain music, then you soon won’t be after listening to any track of Glass Animals. This platinum selling psychedelic pop group have made a name for themselves with their dream-like song sequences and innovative electronic performances.  2020 is now set to be a big year for the band, as its much awaited third album is soon to be released in July.  

Origins

Glass Animals was formed in Oxford, England during 2010, when childhood friends Dave Bayley, Joe Seaward, Ed Irwin-Singer and Drew MacFarlane got together to start creating music.  The true genius behind their music is lead singer, songwriter, and producer Dave Bayley, who is bursting with musical innovation.  Glass Animals’ first album in 2014 entitled Zaba received worldwide critical acclaim as their new psychedelic pop sound started grasping the attention of audiences beyond the UK.  

Zaba 

2014’s Zaba included the singles “Pools”, “Hazey”, and “Gooey”, the latter eventually going platinum in the United States.  The album spawned a worldwide tour in 2015, which included two sold out shows at The Wiltern theatre in Los Angeles and features on The Late Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Seth Meyers, the band performing “Gooey” on both shows.  On the back of the album’s critical success, Glass Animals went on to play over 140 dates around the world, including performances at Coachella, Glastonbury, and Lollapalooza.

How To Be a Human Being: Album and Tour

The band’s second album How to Be a Human Being received widespread critical acclaim for its trance-like & psychedelic pop sounds.  The album’s release date coincided with the release of its single “Life Itself” and its accompanying music video.  How to Be a Human Being’s other single, “Youth”, also went on to receive positive reviews. Glass Animals then decided to embark upon a tour of Australia and North America, the biggest appearance being their spot on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Dublin

Having successfully performed at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre in 2016, Glass Animals solidified their Irish presence by playing the city’s Forbidden Fruit Festival in 2018.  Their knowingly “lazy” experimental electronic style drew a huge crowd, with passionate fans thoroughly enjoying the chilled out experience and recognisable beats.  The band went on to live in Dublin for a brief stint, until a horrible accident befell the band’s drummer Joe Seaward, who was hit by a truck while out cycling.  Seaward underwent numerous surgeries, but is thankfully okay now; however, at the time Glass Animals had to cancel their European and North American tour dates while waiting for Joe to recover.  Dave Bayleys Facebook updates during this time gave fans a glimpse at the close relationship between the band members. Seaward’s full recovery allowed Glass Animals to go on tour once again in early 2019, the string of shows being a sort of “celebratory” tour for Joe’s restored health.  

Dreamland

Inspired by the harrowing accident of Joe Seaward in 2018, Bayley and the boys are due to release their third studio album, Dreamland on July 3rd 2020.  The album’s announcement came after Bayley released the new single “Your Love (Déjà Vu)”.  Innovative as always, the single was recorded entirely via Zoom and pays tribute to the upcoming album, Bayley citing the track’s lyrics as being a ‘table of contents for the album as a whole’.

Covid-19 and beyond

Covid-19 may have the band confined to their homes, but they are still providing us with our much-needed Glass Animals dosage.  Check out their Open Source website to access pictures, music samples, and videos.  Dave Bayley has been busy attending to his audiences by performing cover requests under the catchy umbrella title of ‘Quarantine Covers Part 1’, which you can check out here:

Glass Animals might have to postpone performing live for a while due to the current lockdown restrictions, but they certainly won’t stop pushing the boundaries of music. Their whimsical sounds and innovative psychedelic music videos will more than fill the void for the moment, making us anticipate all the more their return to the live stage.