GLASS ANIMALS: CHILDHOOD MEMORIES AND PET SOUNDS

Glass Animals’ third album, Dreamland (Republic), was this week’s #7 album, debuting with nearly 60k (24k D2C) in the U.S., while bowing at #2 in their native U.K. First single “Your Love (Déjà vu) reached Top 10 on both the Alternative and Triple A charts, and the new single, “Tangerine,” was #1 Most Added at Alternative last week.

Dreamland is a record that almost never happened, as the band’s future was in question after drummer Joe Seward was hit by a van while riding his bicycle in Dublin in July 2018, fracturing his skull. Happily, he made a full recovery, and recording commenced the following year. What emerged from the sessions was this deeply personal album, partly inspired by singer Dave Bayley’s memories of his formative years in Massachusetts and Texas.

Dreamland’s musical touchstone is the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, and Bayley’s production (with input from executive producer Paul Epworth) is flawless. The band’s last U.S. show was an underplay at the Troubadour on 3/11, after which they returned to the U.K., unable to complete their U.S. album promo. Instead, Dave engaged his rabid fanbase on social media with frequent appearances on the various platforms, as he unveiled the Quarantine Covers, performing Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box,” Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful” and Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me.”

Infinite credit goes to longtime manager Amy Morgan, now at September Management, for (more than) salvaging the record release—including a mind-blowing 100 million streams the first week of release.