Dreamland, released on the 7th of August this year, is the third studio album from Oxford four-piece Glass Animals. This record was initially supposed to be released on the 10th of July, but was pushed back in order to not pull focus from the Black Lives Matter movement. In the end this delay conveniently landed this sun-drenched album’s release slap-bang in the middle of a UK heatwave, something that for me ended up working in their favour.

Their 2016 smash hit and Mercury Prize nominated album How To Be A Human Being was always going to be a tough gig to follow. Therefore, they have seemingly decided this album needed a much more intimate and autobiographical approach, contrasting hugely with their series of character studies on their previous album. This may have something to do with the fact that the band’s drummer, Joe Seaward, suffered life threatening injuries when his bike collided with a lorry in Dublin back in 2018. Luckily, he has since recovered, but the anxiety and the trauma brought about by Seaward’s accident is certainly present throughout the album. This feeling is particularly prominent in the track ‘It’s All So Incredibly Loud.’ This track builds slowly, tentatively at first, as front man Dave Bayley recounts lines such as ‘Ooh we’re breakin’ down/ Whispers would deafen me now.’ There is a fragility to this track, as if one little thing may bring everything toppling down. It is more than likely that the band felt this way about Seaward’s accident, that everything they had built could be taken away if Joe was unable to recover. Dave Bayley has also publicly spoken on the fact that he spent a lot of time at Seaward’s bedside, getting very involved in his bandmate’s recovery, He remarked that ‘with all the adrenaline of waiting for news, you end up going really deep into memory and the past, and reliving old experiences’.

This certainly explains the retro feel of the album’s visual and lyrical content. Dreamland’s album cover fits right into the vapourware aesthetic reminiscent of MTV logos of the 1990s, with its luminescent colour scheme and surreal shapes and patterns. This concept continues into the body of the album. On ‘Space Ghost Coast to Coast’ Bayley croons of ‘Pokémon and bottle rockets’ and ‘007, Nintendo/ James Bond.’ On ‘Tangerine’ he complains someone has ‘Friends on repeat’. All these humorous nods to 90s popular culture add to the idea that Dreamland is steeped in nostalgia, and they clearly want you to notice these references and reminisce alongside them. As Dreamland continues and we dive further into this world, this sense of intimacy builds. This is certainly helped by four short interludes, all titled as different ‘home movies’. Unlike some album interludes, these help the album flow seamlessly from one song to the next. You do not feel compelled to skip them, instead you let them wash over you as you absorb these quieter moments on this overall pretty upbeat and frantic record. Additionally, these ‘home movies’ feel deeply personal, striking up a feeling of nostalgia even though these memories are not your own.

As for the main body of the album, there seems to have been a shift from their 2016 sophomore release. Dreamland feels much more hip-hop inspired. Synths and trap beats blend with their usual brand of indie-pop to create something that might not appeal to fans of the previous album but personally, this feels like a new and interesting shift in direction. On How To Be A Human Being a rip-roaring verse from Denzel Curry (as featured on ‘Tokyo Drifting’) would have felt wildly out of place, yet it sits nicely on Dreamland alongside Bayley’s almost rap-style lyrical delivery. However, this does not work on the entirety of the record. For instance, ‘Melon and the Coconut’ (a song about the aforementioned fruit experiencing a breakup) falls somewhat flat. It feels monotonous and out of place, almost bringing the record to an unwelcome halt. However, where this new direction works, it really works. Highlights for me include ‘Tangerine’, a clear homage to Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling’, with a bubbly chorus that sticks in the brain almost instantly. ‘Your Love (Déjà Vu)’ is also an instant standout, with its funk guitar rhythms adding depth to its psychedelic pop overtones.

Overall, I would urge long-time fans and total newbies alike to give this album a chance. Although it is not a perfect record, there are some absolute gems. With their catchy hooks, shimmery production and witty lyricism, you will find yourself gravitating towards these tunes time and time again, dragging you further with each listen into Bayley’s whimsical world, providing some much needed 2020 escapism.

Rating: 7/10

Dreamland is available now via Wolf Tone Records

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