Glass Animals was formed in Oxford in 2010 by childhood friends Dave Bayley, Joe Seaward, Ed Irwin-Singerand Drew MacFarlane. Now one of the biggest bands in the world, Glass Animals’ rise to global #1 with “Heat Waves” has been a story of deep connection during unprecedented times, nostalgia and support for a band often described as underdogs. 2020 album Dreamland saw Glass Animals “craft a new geography of their own… And our musical landscape is plenty richer for it” (DIY) and allowed fans to escape into a virtual world through building community on OpenSource, the band’s file sharing site. “Heat Waves” started life with Dave dragging a boom box down his empty East London street in the summer of 2020 during peak lockdown, asking fans to be involved with the video creation by filming from their windows.
Fast forward to 2022 and “Heat Waves’” rise has been a story that “could be the script for a feel good British indie film” (The Times). With a historic climb to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, taking 59 weeks and breaking every record, the band remained in the top spot for 5 weeks in a row, #1 on the Billboard Global 200 Chart for 6 weeks in a row, and #1 on the Billboard Radio Songs Chart and Billboard Global Excl. US Chart for 5 weeks.
The band first made waves with debut Zaba, released on Paul Epworth’s label Wolf Tone and obliterating all expectations simply by word of mouth. Their anomalous rise has gained the Oxford four‐piece a legion of fans all over the world, including festival appearances at the likes of Falls in Australia, Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Glastonbury and has resulted in the band playing countless sold out shows globally.
Their second album, How To Be A Human Being, was a scrapbook of their time spent on the road, gathering memories and perceptions of different types of people from all around the world. Many of Dave’s lyrical ideas came from live recordings of people saved on his phone, as though he’d been operating as some sort of roaming journalist all this time. “I try to sneakily record people, and I have hours and hours of these amazing rants from taxi drivers, strange people we met outside of shows, people at parties. People say the strangest shit when they don’t think they’re ever gonna see you again.” The voice notes sparked ideas for characters that Dave developed, writing an album like a TV screenwriter might approach a script. “I’d obsess over what they ate, where they lived, what their furniture looked like, what they wore,” he laughs.
Following the release of Dreamland, the band have been nominated for Grammy, Ivor and BRIT awards, and have seen their star ascend to even higher levels than before. In 2022, they released Dreamland: Real Life edition, featuring remixes from Diplo, Kelly Lee Owens, Dj Seinfeld, Hudson Mohawke, Washed Out and guest features from Arlo Parks, Denzel Curry, Bree Runway and Iann Dior