Glass Animals: Pop success of “Heat Waves” is a “lovely surprise”
Pooneh GhanaBritish band Glass Animals has been releasing records since 2012, but their current single “Heat Waves” is their first-ever to make it onto Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart, not to mention their first on Billboard‘s Pop Airplay chart. And nobody is more surprised by the song’s success than, well…the members of Glass Animals themselves.
“This song being on these pop radio stations is just such a surprise,” says Glass Animals drummer Joe Seaward. “Everything’s such a lovely surprise. You just never feel jaded, I think, is the nice thing, ’cause everything’s always a bonus.”
The band’s frontman, Dave Bayley, tells ABC Audio why the success of “Heat Waves” — coming as it did in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic — means a “huge amount” to the band.
“We haven’t actually been able to go overseas, but this song has kind of traveled and sort of done that for us,” he notes. “We feel very lucky to have had that, it’s pretty amazing.”
As for why “Heat Waves” has become their breakthrough hit, Joe believes it’s because the song’s combination of “upbeat, exciting music” and “remorseful, mournful lyrics” reflects our present moment in time.
“It’s quite sad,” notes Joe. “I think that that resonates quite strongly with what’s been happening to people in the last year.”
“Heat Waves” appears on Glass Animals’ new album, Dreamland, a concept album about Dave Bayley’s childhood. He’s hoping that new fans who’ve discovered the band through “Heat Waves” will now be inspired to give Dreamland a try.
“Maybe it’ll lead people to listen to the album, which was very much written and made as an entire entity, as an entire world,” says Dave, adding, “I think you can say a lot more when an actual album is greater than the sum of its parts.”
By Josh Johnson & Andrea Dresdale
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
By ABC Audio on April 9, 2021
Pooneh GhanaBritish band Glass Animals has been releasing records since 2012, but their current single "Heat Waves" is their first-ever to make it onto Billboard's Hot 100 chart, not to mention their first on Billboard's Pop Airplay chart. And nobody is more surprised by the song's success than, well...the members of Glass Animals themselves.
"This song being on these pop radio stations is just such a surprise," says Glass Animals drummer Joe Seaward. "Everything's such a lovely surprise. You just never feel jaded, I think, is the nice thing, 'cause everything's always a bonus."
The band's frontman, Dave Bayley, tells ABC Audio why the success of "Heat Waves" -- coming as it did in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic -- means a "huge amount" to the band.
"We haven't actually been able to go overseas, but this song has kind of traveled and sort of done that for us," he notes. "We feel very lucky to have had that, it's pretty amazing."
As for why "Heat Waves" has become their breakthrough hit, Joe believes it's because the song's combination of "upbeat, exciting music" and "remorseful, mournful lyrics" reflects our present moment in time.
"It's quite sad," notes Joe. "I think that that resonates quite strongly with what's been happening to people in the last year."
"Heat Waves" appears on Glass Animals' new album, Dreamland, a concept album about Dave Bayley's childhood. He's hoping that new fans who've discovered the band through "Heat Waves" will now be inspired to give Dreamland a try.
"Maybe it'll lead people to listen to the album, which was very much written and made as an entire entity, as an entire world," says Dave, adding, "I think you can say a lot more when an actual album is greater than the sum of its parts."
By Josh Johnson & Andrea Dresdale
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
