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Biography
The band has played numerous headlining gigs as well as opened up for such artists as St. Vincent, Metronomy, and Yeasayer.
The band is a collaboration between four childhood friends: frontman/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Dave Bayley, guitarist and keyboardist Drew MacFarlane, bassist and keyboardistEdmund Irwin-Singer, and drummer Joe Seaward. Bayley was raised in the United States but returned to his native England at age 13, where he was enrolled at St. Edward’s School in Oxford on a music scholarship. This is where he met MacFarlane, who was also raised in the US, as well as Irwin-Singer and Seaward. The group was still in school when it released its debut EP, Leaflings, in 2012.
After the release of its EP, Glass toured around England playing some small clubs and would later release its self-titled EP in 2013. Glass Animals conveyed the band’s eccentric style of music, including its catchy mannerisms.
Glass Animals is heavily influenced by both psychedelic music and the study of biology, and both of these concepts are present throughout its albums. Their self-titled EP contains the track “Psylla,” which is a reference to a sap-sucking insect. The track also contains psychedelic elements like heavy reverb, delay, and breathy vocals. The song “Woozy” is also presented on the EP, which has a trip-hop vibe as well as including a guest appearance by Jean Deaux, who raps a verse in the song.
The band soon caught the attention of high-profile producer Paul Epworth, who has worked with such artists such as Adele, Coldplay, Paul McCartney, and Bruno Mars. Epworth signed the band to his label Wolf Tone. With his support, Glass Animals released its debut album, Zaba, which was highly influenced by William Steig’s children’s book The Zabajaba Jungle.
The songs on Zaba feature tribal drum patterns as well as sounds of nature, which were captured by lead singer David Bayley recording ambient sounds in outdoor settings. Critics have praised Zaba for its unique blend of electronica and R&B music that is presented in a minimalistic way. Critics have also commented that the album resembles the sounds of Jamie xx and Flying Lotus. The album did extremely well on the Australian music charts and contained the singles “Black Mambo,” “Gooey,” “Pools,” and “Hazey.”
In 2014 and 2015 the band made major moves, performing “Gooey” on both The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Seth Meyers. It toured both hemispheres of the globe and performed over 130 concerts in 2015, including sold-out performances at The Wiltern in Los Angeles and Terminal 5 in New York City. In the midst of this, they also released a collaboration called “Lose Control” with rapper Joey Bada$$.
The next year was no less eventful. In May, Glass Animals dropped the single “Life Itself” in anticipation of its upcoming second full-length album, How to Be a Human Being. The single rose to number 14 on the US Billboard Alternative Song chart and spent half a year on Sirius XM’s Alt-18 chart. The accompanying music video came out in June 2016. The second single, “Youth,” was released on July 25. It also saw immediate success and made it into the FIFA 17 by EA Sports. “Season 2 Episode 3,” the third single, came out on August 22, four days before the album came out.
The album How to Be a Human Being was inspired by people Bayley met while on tour. Each song explored a different person’s life, resulting in fascinating insights into other people’s experiences. For instance, “Season 2 Episode 3” told the story of a woman who “spends her entire time watching TV, lounging around, not doing anything, being high, eating mayonnaise from a jar.”
In 2018, while preparing for yet another tour, drummer Joe Seaward was hit by a truck during a bike ride in Dublin. Facing serious injuries, he and the band decided to cancel the rest of 2018’s tour dates.
Two singles for its next album came out in November 2019 and February 2020: “Tokyo Drifting” (with Denzel Curry) and “Your Love (Déjà Vu).” The next single, “Dreamland,” came out in May 2020 and was accompanied by an official announcement of the upcoming album’s release on July 10.
“Dreamland” came out during Seaward’s long hospitalization after his accident. While Bayley was sitting by his bedside, he began to write down memories, which turned into a nostalgic album, also called Dreamland. It contained material related to Bayley’s childhood and other pivotal moments throughout his life.
Though Dreamland was scheduled for release in July 2020, in late June, the band delayed its release to “keep focus on the Black Lives Matter movement and the discussions taking place around racism and police brutality around the world.” Glass Animals instead released it in August. The band also launched a website where fans could interact with the album — downloading samples of the songs, inspecting artwork, and learning more about the album’s content. Bayley explained that the goal was “to make something that was incredibly honest and incredibly us.” Dreamland debuted at number two in the UK Albums Chart.
In January 2021, “Heat Waves” hit the number one spot on Australia’s Triple J Hottest 100 of 2020. “Tangerine” and “Your Love (Déjà Vu)” also made the chart. Other singles from the album continued to climb the charts well into 2022.
Live reviews
Proudly touting one of the year's strongest debut records, Oxford's Glass Animals are on course to be an unrivalled quartet of dominating figures in the immediate future. Their first LP, ZABA, is a gorgeous commingling of syrupy gloop-splattered synths, Yellow Fever funk guitar, alt-J-esque falsetto harmonies and rampant beats that sound like a jungle stampede. They spin an addictive and hugely unique style of music, and though it's achingly familiar, there's never any anchoring point – a rare treat in today's sonic landscape. There's a delirious opiate aura as their blur the borders of R&B, rock, pop, electronica and soul, and don't be surprised if you're sucked into an anachronistic tornado, and promptly blurted into a surreal(er) land of Oz.
It's an ambitious set of tracks to transfer into live scenarios, but, even in their relatively early days, they've fine-tuned and sharpened an array of sandblasted efforts. Their shows are littered with fan favourites: “Gooey”, “Cocoa Hooves” (sans slugs), “Flip”, “Walla Walla” and a delightfully warped cover of Kanye West's “Love Lockdown”, so expect the immaculately-coiffed lads to dazzle on every front. Even if you're not familiar with the band, it's well worth taking a gamble and watching them live; as much as it's an impressive performance, it's an experience that'll melt the innards of your cranium.
larryday
Wow! What a talented and likable group of guys who put on one of the best shows I've seen in awhile. Having only released two albums so far, Glass Animals certainly have to put some lesser-known songs into their setlist. But here's the thing: they truly don't have a bad song. Each track has a different sound and a different story to tell. The show started with the jumpy and rhythmic "Life Itself," but was immediately followed by the deliciously slow and smooth jams "Black Mambo" and "Hazey." Other standouts included "Poplar St," a slow burn with a killer guitar line, "Season 2 Episode 3," a techno-infused song complete with video game noises and quirky lyrics ("My girl eats mayonnaise/From a jar when she's gettin' blazed), and "Youth," a cheerful crowd-pleaser. Of course, "Gooey," the lads' most famous hit, brought the house down and a solid encore finished off the show. I think I was most impressed with the performance aspect of the concert. The strobe lights and the energy of the band really made the most of the NorVa's small space. And, oh yeah, a giant pineapple disco ball doesn't hurt.
JackJacobs17
Been wanting to watch this band since their inception. Finally got the perfect opportunity with the grand opening of the roxy, a new venue right in front of the brand new braves stadium!
their act is visceral and mind bending at times. They started out strong with their latest single with their latest single "life itself". This showed how skillful they've become with their live act and how they've developed over time. One of the coolest set features was how in sync the lighting effects were with the act especially the light reflections that came from a huge pineapple disco ball that hung above the stage.
Highlight of the show was undoubtedly their ability to break off into solos and improve each song. Usually when I think of glass animals I think calm and soothing sounds but this show was the opposite. Just imagine their songs on steroids. Amazing show to say the least and I can not wait to watch they live again!
alvajf07
If you're reading this, you're likely already a fan of their music. Well after seeing them live, I'm a bigger fan. The lead singer was so enthusiastic and looked like he was having a blast and when the crowd showed the band love, he was humble and endearing and played even harder. His energy was infectious and the whole room just seemed really stoked to be there as was I. They are really fun and if I had any complaint, it was that they didn't play long enough. Also, might I add that it is SO refreshing to hear an indie band PLAY INSTRUMENTS and not just a keyboard synth while acting like it was re-inventing the wheel. I like those bands too but what a breath of fresh air. Instruments. And real drums. Every one of them was just fantastic. I am so glad I got to experience this and will again the next chance I get.
lynda-wu
So this is a band I've been into for a while now and yet to see. Since hearing this record earlier this year when it came out, I've definitely been wanting to see them live, and it was definitely worth the wait. We were greeted by the sight of a veritable forest of large potted plants around the stage, creating a surreal yet playful atmosphere, hinting at the kind of people these guys are, who created one of the most intriguing albums to come out this year. From the minute they hit the stage they had the entire audience enthralled. Running through most of the tracks off their first full length album "Zaba" with enthusiasm and energy, standout tracks "Gooey" and "Hazey" and the tribal "Wyrd" got the crowd moving! They definitely sounded like a band that are destined for great things. Definitely ones to watch!
Anjalogica
It was great, it started with super chill band from Colombia that were super cool and had some really unique influences. But then shit hit the fan. Another band came out... Little Dragon. A Swedish band that would sound good if they just turned off the singers mic and took it easy on the bass. The singer couldn't sing and it felt like their set would never end. It was weird and you couldn't understand a word she said. But enough about that malarky. Glass Animals my god it was fantastic. Every song was so good, they changed tempo or put in solos to the songs and it was so enjoyable. The lights where perfect and fit the songs lyrics so well. I honestly can not say enough good things about the show. 10/10 would see Glass Animals again
Kdp017
these guys BROUGHT IT. it was not a great night weather-wise - torrential downpour, flash flooding, and an hour's delay after they had only played a few songs. but more than half the crowd at red rocks stuck it out through the very damp night. once they took the stage again they were ready to rock - very high energy, dave was clearly having a blast. he told the crowd that we had a "british music festival" vibe, and i took it as a compliment. great set list, mostly from "how to be a human being," but a few from "zaba" thrown into the mix. would definitely love to see these guys perform again.
ktdrksn
Seeing Glass Animals live is a truly amazing experience. There was such a relaxed atmosphere at their show as each song blended with another. Their music is so infectious and that showed by the audience's reaction, with most of the room swaying to frontman Dave's vocals and the dripping beats that makes their music so unique. Dave performed without shoes, in wooly socks, so that gives you an idea of how relaxed the band is! I will definitely be wanting to see them again in 2016, eagerly anticipating their 2nd album!
Glass Animals @ Gorilla, Manchester
Thursday 5th March 2015
conorjgiblin
I go to a lot of small venue shoes. I lived in NYC for 8 years and went to a TON of shows as well as travel in the summer for gigs. I had never seen Glass Animals before last night and was STUNNED.
Blown. Away.
They were amazing. The energy of the crowd who knew all the lyrics helped but they were just incredible. The show was short because they only have 1 full length album but I will JUMP at the opportunity to see these guys again. Thank you for not only producing great music but putting on an entertaining live show.
miahoops
The Glass Animals was the headline band for Buzz Under the Stars Night 1. The show was incredibly put together with dazzling lights, perfect stage presence and, of course, amazing music. Dave Bayley looked as if he loved what he was doing the entire show; interacting with the audience, dancing, introducing songs and his band members. The audience itself was enthralled with the entire show from start to finish. It was an all around spiritual experience and I would undoubtedly recommend the Glass Animals for years to come.
jennawooten
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