Second album syndrome is often characterised by lazy tales of tour boredom. But Glass Animals, the Oxford Alt-J-alikes with more than 200m Spotify streams, have used their time on the road imaginatively.
This colourful collage was inspired by stories that frontman David Bayley secretly (and creepily) recorded on his iPhone: anecdotes from fans, taxi drivers and random strangers who felt compelled to unload. Eclectic yet easy listening, its songs resemble slick rap and R&B, after being deconstructed and glued back together with Pritt Stick and bodily fluids. Their beats ooze and groove awkwardly. Even the breezy notion of getting high turns into a gross, gooey situation: “My girl eats mayonnaise from a jar when she’s gettin’ blazed,” Bayley sings on Season 2 Episode 3, a quirky, 8-bit slow jam.
Perhaps its contemporary qualities will seem as fleeting as its subjects’ visits in five year’s time, but Zaba’s follow up is still an inventively produced, impishly executed triumph.
