What You Need to Know: Glass Animals
You might have heard about Glass Animals from their infectious single “Gooey,” whose music video is a series of strange and hyperreal vignettes zooming in on the gooey parts of our own bodies (you have to see it for yourself). Hailing from Oxford, the band...
You might have heard about Glass Animals from their infectious single “Gooey,” whose music video is a series of strange and hyperreal vignettes zooming in on the gooey parts of our own bodies (you have to see it for yourself). Hailing from Oxford, the band consists of frontman Dave Bayley, Drew MacFarlane, Edmund Irwin-Singer, and Joe Seaward, all of whom have been friends since grade school. They had released some music while in college, but collectively decided to finish their degrees first while taking on odd jobs to get by. Upon being noticed by producer Paul Epworth (whose credits include Adele, Florence and the Machine, and Coldplay), Glass Animals signed to Epworth’s label Wolf Tone.
Having released two EPs, they released their debut album ZABA in the summer of 2014, and they have been on tour since this spring. The album name ZABA comes from the children’s book “The Zabajaba Jungle” by William Steig. The book chronicles the curious adventures of Leonard, a young boy who encounters a swarm of snakes, a strange bird, and a group of baboons who take him to court for drinking the nectar of Jabazaba flower. In a similar vein, Glass Animals’ sound is whimsical, dream-like, and inspires the same wonder you might experience venturing into an unknown jungle. Bayley’s breathy and ethereal vocals strike a counterpoint to their tropical percussive timbres, but they combine to create a woozy and addicting sound. Some have described them as a cross between the indie electronic influences of Alt-J and the psychedelia of Animal Collective. At times, their own song names describe their music best; with titles like “Gooey” and “Hazey,” ZABA has the bangers for a sweaty and dancey Saturday night and also the blurry ballads of a Sunday morning comedown.
Of particular note are the cryptic lyrics of their songs. For example, “You just wanna know those peanut butter vibes,” or “Fresh out of an icky gooey womb,” or “Right my little Pooh Bear, wanna take a chance?” On the subject of peanut butter, Bayley explains, “Similar thing to the Pooh Bear, it reminds me of being a kid, getting it on a spoon and walking around, getting it stuck to the roof of your mouth. It’s also sticky, unhealthy and a bit addictive.” In a nutshell, the womb, Pooh Bear, and gooey peanut butter seem to capture the wonder and naiveté of youth, exemplified by Leonard from “The Zabajaba Jungle.”
In an interview with Vulture Magazine, Bayley offers the best place to listen to Glass Animals, explaining, “Somewhere where you can turn up the volume up without being shouted at. There is a house near us that is secretly this kind of crazy rave den, all the walls have been painted psychedelic colors and patterns, there are cushions all over the floors, one room has a jacuzzi, there is a roof garden with exotic plants, and a basement full of revelers. Glass Animals is coming to the Met in Pawtucket, RI this Saturday 6/18. We can only hope it comes close to a crazy rave den.