I've been listening to Glass Animal's debut album, Zaba, for a few years now. The groups woozy psychedelic pop has a humid, tropical atmosphere which makes it perfect for hot summer evenings. With the group releasing new music, I have finally got round to checking out their follow-up, 2016's How To Be A Human Being. The core of the band's sound is still here (the glossy, multilayered production, Dave Bailey's sensual falsetto vocals), but it has been expanded upon with more ambitious elements and lyrical concepts.
Each of the tracks on How To Be A Human Being focuses on a different character, all inspired by people the group met while touring Zaba. We take a look inside the heads of these characters, with their inner monologues accentuated and absurd-ified. It reminds me of the writing style in fellow indietronica band Everything Everything's work. The lyrics here are not as socio-politically charged or as taken to the extreme as EE, but do evoke the same feelings of silly absurdity tinged by a genuine sense of believability.
The record opens on an incredibly bombastic, anthemic note with Life Itself. This track is built around groovy afrobeat rhythm, and revolves around this loser like character who's mother is disappointed in his life choices. It explodes into a massive chorus with blaring synths and distorted horns, where the character seemingly doesn't care. It creates a weird juxtaposition, as the music sounds like your supposed to root for this character, yet the lyrics clearly describe why your not supposed to. Youth carries on this anthemic atmosphere, although it isn't quite as in your face. The track is a typical coming of age story about growing up. It hits all the right notes, and the silky smooth chorus is irresistible.
Season 2 Episode 3 is more stripped back than the first two tracks. There's a rolling hi-hat beat and midi-esque, chip tune sounding synthesizers. It gives the track a retro video game feel, and even samples sounds from Super Mario Brothers. The song is about people who lounge around all day binge watching TV, and the music really fits the vibe. It's all very chilled. The majority of Mama's Gun is a tense build up with a jangly piano motif and wondrous sounding woodwind. Eventually some choral backing vocals come in just before the track gently crescendos. All that tension feels like it needs a bigger payoff, which keeps the eery vibe of the song intact right towards the end.
While the album doesn't quite get as festival ready as the opening tracks, it still has some massive sounding songs. Pork Soda has the excellent hook of "Pineapples are in my head, I've got nobody cause I'm braindead" and the track just builds up the layers more and more until track feels like it genuinely could not sound any more full. Take A Slice has a really fuzzed out, bluesy guitar and a woozey, sensual vocal melody. It sounds like modern Tame Impala and Like Clockwork... era Queens Of The Stone Age smashed together, and is absolutely mental and surprisingly works. Blaring horns and staccato piano come in when the chorus hits, all accumulating in the guitar solo outro that is just so much noise but brilliant.
The album sags just a little in the middle. Cane Shuga is perfectly fine but doesn't really do much for me, and [Premade Sandwiches] is one of many tracks that try to be Fitter Happier. It's still one of the better imitators, but I don't really know why artists try to go for that idea - because no one ever seems to match Fitter Happier's balance between irony and paranoia. The Other Side Of Paradise's chorus features this very 2010s, post-dubstep, bass drop. It is pretty tastefully done here, but it does make the track already seem a bit dated - and is the only point where the album seems to be chasing the trends of the time.
These weaker moments are still well done, their ideas don't quite connect with me like the rest of the track list. So despite the ambition here, I'd say I like it about the same as Zaba. Both are great albums, with different qualities. Zaba goes for a more consistent tone and vibe; whereas HTBAHB is more ambitious and higher highs, but has a few moments that don't hit like the rest of the record. I'm really quite interested in what the group do for album 3 now, although the singles released so far haven't really landed with me the way these two records have.
Top Tracks: Life Itself, Youth, Season 2 Episode 3, Pork Soda, Take A Slice
8/10
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