The 10 Best Glass Animals Songs of All-Time
Glass Animals is an indie rock band formed in Oxford, England. The group consists of Dave Bayley (lead vocals/guitar), Drew MacFarlane (lead guitar), Edmund Irwin-Singer (keyboards), and Joe Seaward (drums). Formed in 2010, the band’s music combines psychedelic pop, indie pop, and indie rock with electronic music. The group’s self-titled debut album was released on June 5, 2014, through Caroline International in the U.K., Glass Animals via Harvest in France, and Wolf Tone in Australia and New Zealand. Glass Animals will release their follow-up album How to Be a Human Being on August 26, 2016. “Psychedelic music is a big influence on our band,” Edmund Irwin-Singer told NME in an interview, “but we wanted to push it into a more pop realm. In the studio, we’d always be looking around for sounds that took us somewhere else.” Their sound constantly evolves, and their newest album pushes them further into that realm.
10. Pork Soda
Pork Soda is a fan favorite off of Glass Animals’ newest album, How to Be a Human Being. The song is centered around a bouncy melody and focuses on loneliness due to cell phones and social media. “You’re always there when I need you, but never there when I don’t,” Bayley repeats twice at the end of each verse in the chorus, speaking about how much people depend on their phones. The verses are mostly instrumental, with only a few lines in between each one. With this kind of writing, Glass Animals can make the song addictive while still allowing it to tell a story, unlike many other songs in pop music.
9. Life Itself
Life Itself is off of Glass Animals’ sophomore album How to Be a Human Being. Unlike the rest of the songs on this list, Life Itself is one of their darker singles off of this album. The song follows the main character as they meet someone new at a party and try to find comfort in them after breaking up with an ex-girlfriend. “The song is about sharing with somebody, having that connection,” Bayley said in an interview with NME. “To me, the process of being with someone new is very similar to being on tour. There are some days when everything goes wrong, and everything feels heavy, but there are also some fantastic moments. It’s about finding comfort in somebody else.”
8. Tangerine
Tangerine is a song that takes you on a journey. It starts with what sounds like an airplane engine until the rest of the band joins in, and it feels like you are flying over spectacular footage of mountains, lakes, clouds, etc. Immediately I thought to myself, “this video would be so cool!” After about 30 seconds of being mesmerized by this view and how it is turned into a song, the vocals kick in, and this becomes one of my favorite songs by Glass Animals to date. “Dreamland” was released as an EP with four different remixes of Tangerine, each reflecting the artist’s style and adding their personal touch to the track.
7. Youth
Youth is off of Glass Animals’ album How to Be a Human Being. The song was inspired by the last year of Dave Bayley’s Life and how quickly it went: “I spent my 20s trying to make it work and not enjoying myself,” he said in an interview with NME. “All of a sudden, I turned 30 and realized I hadn’t had a good time for ten years. So when I started doing that, my perspective on everything changed. All of my friends were going through similar things, and we all became aimless.” The song is about being young in your 20s and feeling like you have no control over anything, but then once you hit 30 years old, you begin to have a sense of control which is what the lyrics “I feel this fire, I’m going to let it burn” allude to.
6. I Don’t Wanna Talk
I Don’t Wanna Talk is off of Glass Animals’ EP Dreamland, released in 2020. It was the first single off the album and quickly became a fan favorite following its release. The song is centered around Dave Bayley’s struggle with anxiety, which started when he left home at age 18 to attend the University of Oxford. Many people struggle with mental illness, but it’s not something many talks about. Bayley was inspired by this and decided that he wanted to write a song about what he was feeling at the time, which is why these lyrics are so powerful.
5. Gooey
Gooey is off of Glass Animals’ album Zaba, released in 2014. The song has a very distinct feel because of the way the vocals are presented. “I wrote this song about old relationships and all the intricacies involved in the – little things that you think didn’t matter so much at the time but which loom so much larger in hindsight.” Dave Bayley said of Gooey. It is one of the more memorable songs out there, but that’s what makes it so special.
4. Heat Waves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRD0-GxqHVo
Heat Waves is off of Glass Animals’ EP, Dreamland. Like Tangerine, Heat Waves immediately made me want to watch the music video with its funky rhythm and electronic sound. It has an upbeat dance feel with lyrics like “I don’t know what I’d do without my radio,” which makes you want to get up and move.
3. Take A Slice
Glass Animals’ song Take A Slice is off the band’s album How to Be a Human Being. It has an indie-rock feel to it with lyrics like “and I’m the last man standing, but everyone’s at home” that makes you want to sway back and forth while singing along. Dave Bayley wrote this song after having a dream about a girl drowning. The lyrics “there’s a party on our street and your burning, you’re burning like a house on fire” represent what happens after you die and go to the afterlife.
2. The Other Side Of Paradise
The Other Side of Paradise is from the English rock band Glass Animals’ album How to Be a Human Being. Dave Bayley wrote this song about not wanting to feel alone anymore, which was inspired by his love for his girlfriend at the time. “Being in relationships with people can make you feel very strange. You get inside each other’s minds, and that makes you very vulnerable. It can be beautiful, but it can also be quite dangerous.” said Bayley in an interview with the Guardian. The song is an anthem for all people looking to find someone to love them for who they are.
1. Heat Waves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRD0-GxqHVo
Heat Waves is off of Glass Animals’ album Dreamland. The song has an electronic pop feel to it, so it stands out from other Glass Animals songs. Dave Bayley wrote this about people who come into your life and change everything. “It’s about how somebody can show up in your life and completely shake everything you thought about yourself and the world,” he said in an interview with NME.
Conclusion
Glass Animals are a British rock band formed in 2012. Their debut album, Zaba, was released in June 2014. The lead singer and songwriter are Dave Bayley. He plays guitar, keyboard, synthesizer, percussion, piano, and he sings backup vocals for the band. The above ten songs are the best of all of Glass Animals’ hits. They range from songs about love and relationships to songs based on real-life events to Dave Bayley.
