Tornillo Album Review
23rd July 2024Widespread Panic – The Best Albums of All Time
24th July 2024English indie band Glass Animals had one of their biggest hits during a year marked by darkness: ‘Heat Waves.’ Not only was the track an international success, but frontman Dave Bayley felt connected to it on an emotional level as well.
Oxford outfit The Oxford Collective’s sound ranges between Coldplay-esque stadium-scale anthemics and tropical house. However, certain key milestones have helped them slowly build momentum stateside where their new album Dreamland is making waves.
Dreamland
With an arsenal of instruments at its disposal, this song tells the tale of an introverted young man whose drug problem forces him into seclusion in his parent’s basement. With its striking beat and infectious hook line, this track delivers both intensity and memorability.
How to Be a Human Being is Glass Animals’ sophomore record and marks an evolution from their otherworldly debut, Zaba. Here, more autobiographical lyrics have been included into each song which serve as stories about various people all around the globe.
Each song on this record represents a distinct character. From an athlete in speedos with a walkie-talkie to a 6-foot-7 basketball player from Nigeria, every character has his/her own distinct story to share. Together they form an album that explores different lives with many challenges along the way; yet at its heart lies one universal truth – dealing with problems is what truly makes it relatable.
Your Love (Deja Vu)
Glass Animals finally returned from an extended hiatus with their single “Your Love (Deja Vu). This song addresses dysfunctional relationships that are toxic to one’s mental wellbeing; lead singer Dave Bayley sings about someone that knows they should stay out but finds himself drawn back in.
The band toured their single to venues all across America, including Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. When performing, thunder and lightning broke out perfectly timed with lyrics like, “My thunder shakes me down”.
Allie Avital directed the music video for “Nobody Cares About My Skin”, featuring band members doing everyday activities like taking a bath, sitting on the couch and driving while dancing around to its beat. Since being released online it has already garnered over 4 million views on YouTube.
Heat Waves
After one year in the underground, Glass Animals’ 2020 sleeper hit Heat Waves quickly rose to No.1 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart over 59 weeks – marking their first ever top ten hit!
This song’s simple rise-and-fall melody pattern captures the feeling of an actual heat wave. Bayley came up with its chords while fiddling around on guitar one day, and within an hour had written lyrics in honor of his friend whose birthday he missed each June.
Bayley had already begun pushing the envelope with his music following the success of Heat Waves, co-writing and producing Florence + the Machine’s 2023 album Dance Fever alongside Jack Antonoff as well as exploring different vocal techniques.
On I Love You So (Expletive) Much, Bayley’s emotionally charged lyrics and intricate harmonies depict different sides of love — beautiful, terrifying, painful or complicated — over 10 tracks. Her Oxford, England-based group includes guitarist Drew MacFarlane, bassist Edmund Irwin-Singer and drummer Joe Seaward.
Zaba
Oxfordshire quartet Oxfordshire set off a storm on the Brit Indie scene in 2014 with their highly successful debut Zaba album, an irresistibly decadent offering that showcases their talent for slow-burning yet sensuous Indietronic tracks. Frontman Dave Bayley brought theatricality and showmanship to his emotive vocal delivery that created an immediate bond with their listeners.
On his band‘s new album, How to Be a Human Being, Bayley continues this trend by going beyond traditional abstract lyricism into more relatable storytelling based on real events he encountered; one song called “Youth” about nostalgia was inspired by hearing about how one woman lost her two-year-old son at only age two.
Their live performances feature a cacophony of drums, bass guitar, guitars and keyboards. As each show unfolds they often adapt their setlist on the fly based on feedback from fans for an unforgettable show experience every night.
