Joe Seaward, a drummer, was hit by a truck while riding his bicycle in Dublin in 2018. He lost his life. Dave Bayley was the quartet’s singer, songwriter and producer. His friend spent hours in the hospital with him, his future uncertain under harsh fluorescent lights.
“Hospitals can be very strange places. I believe that is why they make you feel nostalgic. You look for comfort in the past. Bayley says that this was the beginning of the album. “I began writing down these memories and looking for more, and some of them turned out to be great. Some memories are very uncomfortable.
The deeply personal album “Dreamland”, which Bailey grew up with, was what emerged. You will find references to Scooby-Doo and Fruit Loops, Pepsi, Mr. Miyagi and Mr. Miyagi. There is also a song about domestic abuse (“Domestic Bliss”), and a song about an old friend who planned, but never executed, a school shooting (“Space Ghost Coast to Coast”)
The single that stands out is “Heat Waves,” which is a hypnotic and hazy song about a friend who has died, and brings to mind the pain of their passing. After 42 weeks, it reached the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100, making it the longest climb to the Top 10 in U.S. chart-record history. It has been streamed over 1 billion times on Spotify and is now in the company “Levitating” from Dua Lipa, and “Dynamite” by BTS.
Amy Morgan, the band manager, says that “Dreamland” was created before COVID-19 was known. However, it was born during personal turmoil for Dave and the band, in the aftermath of Joe’s accident.”
“Heat Waves” is an example of a personal love song about losing, but it connects because it captures a universal sense of loss that is very much in our hearts right now, unfortunately.
Glass Animals were also nominated for the Grammy Award for best new artist. This is a bit surprising considering their debut album was released in 2014. They will be competing against Sawetie and Finneas as well as Arlo Parks, Sawetie, Sawetie, Sawetie, Finneas and Japanese Breakfast later this month. They have also received two Brit Award nominations.
Bayley believes that the pandemic is partly responsible for the success of the album. Many listeners found the future grim and sought comfort in the past, just as Bayley did back in the hospital.
He says, “They were in the same position as I was when I wrote a lot” “Everyone was trapped inside. They were listening the music that they grew up hearing. They were eating the same food they grew up with. They sought comfort in these situations, and they were reliving those memories as they couldn’t create new ones.
“Dreamland’s confessional roots were actually sown in the band’s last album “How to Be a Human Being”, which saw Bailey compose each song from the perspective a different person. “Agnes,” the last song, was about a friend who committed suicide. This was Bayley’s most personal song, and it marked a shift in his songwriting.
He refused to include it on the album. He performed it to the rest of the band who insisted that it be included on the album. Later, fans wrote letters expressing their gratitude for the song. This gave Bayley the courage to look inward.
He says, “That response gave me a lot confidence to write more personal stuff.” “When my favorite writers talk about something personal, it makes me feel less alone. That is what has made songs the most meaningful to me.”
He says that after the songs were done, something was missing. “A bit of glue” he said. Bayley searched for the glue that would tie it all together, and found it to be his mother. Bayley had just digitized some old camcorder tapes that she had made as a child and he had layered some of her narrations onto interludes to make “Dreamland” more personal.
Some subliminal messages were also added by him for hardcore fans. There is something in Morse Code at the bottom of the vinyl record. Another message can be heard on another song if you reverse it. Although the album was completed, the band lost all plans to tour due to the pandemic.
“We had to rethink everything. Bailey says that it made us more open-minded. “No one had a manual for how to release an album during a pandemic like the Spanish flu.”
Glass Animals began giving away the album with the blessing of their record company. The band launched an open-source website that allowed fans to download the entire album and all of its artwork. They welcomed remixes, and their music was adopted by TikTok users and Minecrafters. Fans submitted fan fiction and art inspired by Dreamland.
“I was excited to see what was coming in every morning, and I would wake up every day. Bailey says that this was my fuel. I felt like we didn’t know what to do. This is what’s helping me. It might help someone else.
Avery Lipman, Republic Records’ president, cofounder, and chief operating officer, gave credit to the band, their labels, and their representatives for being innovative and flexible. He says that Glass Animals have overcome gravity in a historic way.
