Description
Label Review.
2020 album. Also available on CD.
Our Overview.
English psych pop band Glass Animals release their third studio album ‘Dreamland’. At the heart of ‘Dreamland’ lies the quietly enigmatic Dave Bayley, the bands’ frontman and producer extraordinaire who’s work extends far beyond that of Glass Animals, with credits including Joey Bada$$, Flume, Wale, Khalid and most recently Denzel Curry on the late 2019 single “Tokyo Drifting”.
For Bayley, ‘Dreamland’ is a nostalgic memoir of his life so far, covering expansive and difficult ground and holding nothing back. It’s packed full of personal experiences, none more emotional than when the bands drummer Joe Seaward was involved in a monstrous bike accident in July 2018 which threatened his life, and that of Glass Animals altogether. In truth, now is the perfect time for such a poetic dive into the self: ‘Dreamland’ arrives in the midst of a global pandemic and it’s a time for reflection on life itself; for looking back on memories of the past, taking stock of where we are and what we have, and cherishing our loved ones.
‘Dreamland’ finds Bayley slipping into his own crevices, blending past and present reflections in a seemingly stream-of-conscious overhaul of the self: “The idea for this album came at a time of confusion and uncertainty,” Bayley explains. “My best friend was in the hospital. I didn’t know if he’d make it. The future was damn scary and completely unknown.”.
Bayley explains that ‘Dreamland’ “goes through many of the most confusing moments in my life. It’s about growing up, from my first memories as a little kid to now. Quite often those moments are funny, sometimes awkward, sometimes heart-breaking, sometimes it’s about love or hate or sexuality. It’s about realising it’s ok to not have answers and it’s ok to not know how you feel about things and that it’s ok to be and look vulnerable. In fact, all of that is quite exciting. So often life asks us for binary yes or no answers. It asks us to conform and to fit in. But the world is so much more interesting and colourful than that… it’s a much more fluid and uncertain place.”
Tracklisting: Dreamland / Tangerine / / ((home movie: 1994)) / Hot Sugar / ((home movie: BTX)) / Space Ghost Coast to Coast / Tokyo Drifting / Melon and the Coconut / Your Love (Déjà vu) / Waterfalls Coming Out Your Mouth / It’s All So Incredibly Loud / ((home movie: rockets)) / Domestic Bliss / Heat Waves / ((home movie: shoes on)) / Helium