Glass Animals are an English indie rock band formed in Oxford in 2010. The band's line-up consists of Dave Bayley (vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums, songwriting), Drew MacFarlane (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Edmund Irwin-Singer (bass, keyboards, backing vocals), and Joe Seaward (drums).
Their first album, Zaba (2014), spawned the single "Gooey", which was eventually certified platinum in the U.S. Their second full album, How to Be a Human Being, received positive reviews and won in two categories at the 2018 MPG Awards for UK Album of the Year and Self Producing Artist of the Year, as well as a spot on the Mercury Prize shortlist. The third, Dreamland, peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart and number seven on the US Billboard 200.
All four members of the band met in 2010 at St Edward's School in Oxford.[4][5] The band's lead singer and songwriter Dave Bayley, who moved to the U.S. at a young age due to his father's job, grew up in Massachusetts and Texas before returning to England at the age of 13.[4][6] He attended St Edwards on a music scholarship and was introduced to Drew MacFarlane, who would become the band's guitarist and backing vocalist; the two bonded over the fact that they were both Englishmen who had spent their childhoods in the U.S.[7] MacFarlane then introduced Bayley to Edmund Irwin-Singer, who joined as the band's bassist, and Joe Seaward, who joined as its drummer.[4]
On 28 May 2012, the band released their debut EPLeaflings, which included the single "Cocoa Hooves". The EP was released on independent label Kaya Kaya Records, a subsidiary and imprint of XL Recordings (part of the Beggars Group of labels).
In 2013, the band released Black Mambo / Exxus EP in Europe, and Glass Animals EP in the US.[8] The Glass Animals EP also saw the band collaborating with Jean Deaux, a soulful hip-hop teenager from Chicago, on a song titled "Woozy".
In 2014, the band made their first tour of the U.S. and performed at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. They released three more singles: "Gooey", "Pools", and "Hazey", along with a collaboration with Argentine singer-songwriter and producer Tei Shi.[citation needed]
All five singles were included on the band's debut album, Zaba, which was released on 6 June 2014. The band performed the single "Gooey" on Late Night with Seth Meyers on 9 October 2014[9] and again on Late Show with David Letterman on 24 February 2015,[10] and toured extensively after Zaba, visiting both hemispheres and playing over 130 shows in 2015 alone. Their October 2015 US tour included two sold-out shows at The Wiltern in LA and sold-out shows across America including T5 in NYC, The Riverside in Milwaukee, and the Midland Theatre in Kansas City.
A collaboration with American rapper Joey Bada$$, titled "Lose Control", was released on 6 October 2015.
2016–2019: How to Be a Human Being
Bayley in November 2018
On 16 May 2016, the band released the lead single, "Life Itself", from their second album How to Be a Human Being.[11] "Life Itself" peaked at number 14 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart and spent 26 weeks on Sirius XM's Alt-18 chart, peaking at number one.[12] A music video for the song was released on 7 June 2016. The band also created a website based on the character from "Life Itself".
On 25 July, a second single from the album, "Youth", was released along with its music video.[12] This song was also used as a soundtrack in the popular football video game by EA Sports, FIFA 17. Four days before the release of the album, on 22 August, the band released a third single, "Season 2 Episode 3", about a girl who "spends her entire time watching TV, lounging around, not doing anything, being high, eating mayonnaise from a jar".[13]
The full album How to Be a Human Being was released on 26 August 2016 by Wolf Tone and Caroline International in Europe, and Harvest Records in the United States. It was inspired by stories of strangers that Bayley met on tour,[6] with each song telling a different story from a different perspective.
In July 2018, drummer Joe Seaward was seriously injured when he was hit by a lorry while cycling in Dublin. Seaward's accident and recovery resulted in the band cancelling their remaining tour dates for rest of the year.[14]
2019–present: Dreamland
After touring for How to Be a Human Being, the band released two singles; "Tokyo Drifting", a duet with Denzel Curry, on 14 November 2019,[1] and "Your Love (Déjà Vu)" on 19 February 2020.[15] On 1 May 2020, the band released a single named "Dreamland", and announced an album of the same name to be released on 10 July 2020.[16] The beginnings of Dreamland originated after drummer Joe Seaward's bike accident in Dublin. While spending long hours by Seaward's side in the hospital as he recovered, Bayley started "writing down memories and searching for more memories." Those memories eventually evolved into the nostalgic and very personal Dreamland album full of references to Bayley's childhood and other points in his life.[2]
On 28 June, the band announced that the album had been delayed, to "keep focus on the Black Lives Matter movement and the discussions taking place around racism and police brutality around the world."[17] In the lead-up to Dreamland, Glass Animals launched an open-source website where fans could access and download song samples, artwork, and other content related to the album.[2]Dreamland was released on 7 August 2020 via Polydor Records. In an interview with Atwood Magazine, Bayley explained: "I guess the goal with this record was to make something that was incredibly honest and incredibly us."[18] The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number two. "Heat Waves" was included on the FIFA 21 soundtrack.
On 23 January 2021, "Heat Waves" placed first on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2020 in Australia, with "Tangerine" placing at 18th and "Your Love (Déjà Vu)" at 51st. The following month, "Heat Waves" reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart.[19] In April 2021, "Tokyo Drifting" was featured in a television commercial released by Peloton as part of their Champions Collection campaign.[20]
A bonus track and single, "I Don’t Wanna Talk (I Just Wanna Dance)", was included on the FIFA 22 soundtrack.[21] After a record-breaking 59-week climb on the US Billboard Hot 100, "Heat Waves" topped the chart for the week ending 12 March 2022.[22]
^"Youth" did not enter the Flanders Ultratop 50, but charted as an "extra tip" on the Ultratip chart.[42]
^"Season 2 Episode 3" did not enter the Flanders Ultratop 50, but charted as an "extra tip" on the Ultratip chart.[42]
^"Tokyo Drifting" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number 69 on the UK Singles Sales Chart Top 100.[87]
^"Tokyo Drifting" did not enter the Flanders Ultratop 50, but charted as an "extra tip" on the Ultratip chart.[42]
^"Tokyo Drifting" did not enter the New Zealand Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 40 on the New Zealand Hot Singles Chart.[88]
^"Your Love (Déjà Vu)" did not enter the Flanders Ultratop 50, but charted as an "extra tip" on the Ultratip chart.[42]
^"Your Love (Déjà Vu)" did not enter the New Zealand Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 35 on the New Zealand Hot Singles Chart.[91]
^"Dreamland" did not enter the New Zealand Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 28 on the New Zealand Hot Singles Chart.[93]
^"It's All So Incredibly Loud" did not enter the New Zealand Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 35 on the New Zealand Hot Singles Chart.[97]
^The chart numbers refer to both the solo version of the song and the non-album version featuring Arlo Parks, however only the latter was released as a single.
^"Tangerine" did not enter the New Zealand Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 13 on the New Zealand Hot Singles Chart.[99]
^The chart numbers refer to both the solo version of the song and the non-album version featuring Bree Runway, however only the latter was released as a single.
^"Space Ghost Coast to Coast" did not enter the New Zealand Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 25 on the New Zealand Hot Singles Chart.[99]
^"I Don't Wanna Talk (I Just Wanna Dance)" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number 58 on the UK Singles Sales Chart Top 100.[102]
^"I Don't Wanna Talk (I Just Wanna Dance)" did not enter the New Zealand Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 22 on the New Zealand Hot Singles Chart.[103]
^ ab"You don't need much to make music: POP Glass Animals were mid-tour when they had to drop everything and race home from America — but they're still finding ways to create and connect, their frontman tells David Smyth". Evening Standard. 3 April 2020.
"Tangerine", "Hot Sugar", and "Space Ghost Coast to Coast": "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 17 August 2020. Archived from the original on 27 December 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
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