On Friday 7th August, psychedelic sensations Glass Animals released their long-awaited new album, Dreamland. Dreamland is Glass Animals’ third studio album and follows the widely celebrated record How To Be A Human Being, which was released in 2016.
Originally set to drop on the 10th July 2020, Glass Animals postponed the release of Dreamland in respect to the Black Lives Matter movement. Frontman Dave Bayley relayed their solidarity with the movement, writing in a post on Instagram that “The fight for civil rights is so much bigger and more important than any single piece of music.”
A sonic feast of glowing synthesised keys, glittering guitars and otherworldly percussion, Dreamland is not just an album, but an experience. Opening with a symphony of celestial organs, the heavenly title track sets the album’s lucid tone. Frontman Dave Bayley’s hypnotic vocals sing “Pulling down backstreets deep in your head/Slipping through dreamland like a tourist”. A sixteen track journey, Dreamland’s title track entices the listener down the rabbit hole, and you go willingly.
Tangerine, a song about a broken relationship, playfully misleads you with its buoyant synth and vibrant backing track. The wistful lyrics, such as “I wish I could show you more of yourself/I wish I could make you somebody else” and “I’m beggin’ hands, knees, please/Tangerine, come on back to me” heightens the album’s introspective, personal nature.
Glass Animals’ union with talented rapper Denzel Curry on Tokyo Drifting delivers a sharp, hard-hitting track that stands out from the rest of the album. A captivating blend of two diverse sonic palettes, Tokyo Drifting showcases the many moods of Glass Animals.
The album shifts to a spooky tone on Space Ghost Coast to Coast. A reference to the 1994 animated talk show with the same name, the song is dark, beguiling bop. Bayley sings haunting lyrics like “Really think that metal gonna make you safe?/Playing peek-a-boo with the devil these days” that allude to gun violence.
Glass Animals also took to social media today to ring in the release of Dreamland. Sharing the good news to Instagram, Glass Animals posted a celebratory snap to over 309,000 followers. Featuring bandmates and long-time friends Dave Bayley, Drew MacFarlane, Joe Seaward and Edmund Irwin-Singer posing sweetly with their arms around one another, Glass Animals captioned the photo: “WE DID IT…We feel incredibly, incredibly lucky to get to do this again.” With a whopping 51,000 likes, the post was met with joy from Glass Animals’ huge fanbase.
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NEW ALBUM, NEW TOUR. So, so excited to announce 2021 dates in the UK and Europe. These shows are going to feel so euphoric. We’ll be out of lockdown, joe will be back on the drums after his accident, and we’ll be playing all the new ones for the first time. see you there. PS UK/IRELAND: there’s a special ticket pre-sale next wed 9am (aug 5th). to get access grab a copy of our album from the official store (link in bio) before 5pm tues (aug 4th). you’ll get sent a code, the link & all deets via email. if you’ve already pre-ordered dw you’ll automatically get a code!! general on sale for all eu, uk & ireland shows is 9am BST / 10am CET fri 7th august. Xxx A post shared by Glass Animals (@glassanimals) on
Chatting to Billboard about the intricate process behind Dreamland, Bayley described how they played around with music from his personal favourites. Bayley relayed that “I bought a lot of instruments that The Beatles and The Beach Boys might have used, and resampled them on samplers that Timbaland and Dr. Dre used.”
As well as the exciting arrival of Dreamland, Glass Animals have announced that they will return to the road next year. Set for a UK and European tour in May 2021, tickets for the ‘Welcome to Dreamland’ tour are out now.
