Songs about the Psyche. Oxford based ‘Glass Animals’ will capture everyones imagination.
Music today, thankfully, appears to be taking a turn for the experimental. Challenging and ground-breaking artists the likes of James Blake and (more specifically in this case) Alt-J have been gaining massive recognition for their efforts with both have secured the Mercury Prize in the past two years respectively.
I give you then ladies and gents, Glass Animals – four lads from Oxford who are right now pushing those musical boundaries even further, combining the complex and beautiful in ways that I think, few bands really can.
Glass Animals are: Dave Bayley, Drew MacFarlane, Edmund Irwin-Singer and Joe Seaward. The guys have known each other from school and came together under the current title, a number of years back (following a few more radical name switches). Their sound is hard to describe, but it is brainy and intelligently pieced together. It incorporates synth-lead bass, with real cutting drum rhythms and washed over with ice-cool melodies, and powerful lyrics and vocals. (I told you!). All four members are graduates – frontman Dave studied Neuroscience and “spent extended periods with psychiatric patients which to their own admission, has massively influenced their mind-warping sound and soulfully dark lyrics. They are the very first signing to the Wolf Tone, set up by producer Paul Epworth (who has worked before with the likes of Florence + the Machine, and Bloc Party), and his influence not only on their early releases, but their overall sound as a band is pretty evident.
The Leaflings EP is available to buy or stream on Spotify.
You really have to see this band play live to appreciate how good they are, which I was lucky enough to do last week when they played The Bowery in Sheffield. The small venue was busy when these guys took to the stage, and rocking by the end. The band that a few people knew and sang along to had the whole crowd of us on their every note and word! I think its unfair to draw too much of a comparison to the guys and Alt-J, but having seen the latter take to the very same stage little over a year ago, I was equally impressed with Glass Animals, who look every bit the outfit to achieve similar success.
