Albums are subjective and often rely on personal thoughts and feelings. However, in “How to Be a Human Being,” by Glass Animals, the listener is quickly immersed into the fictional stories of everyday people.
Photo courtesy of Google
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Just two years after their debut album titled, “Zaba,” the indie rock band from Oxford, U.K., has returned this summer, bringing back their unique chilled sounds that now cater to a more mainstream listener. Their electronic indie band style creates a vibrant platform for a new take on storytelling. In an interview with DIY Magazine, Dave Bayley, Glass Animals’ lead singer, offers insight to the creative process of the album. Bayley explains the inspiration for this album came from recording people and their stories while on tour. “You start to sort of piece together things about the way that people tell stories, things they might exaggerate, things they might leave out,” Bayley said. “What that means about them as a person, you know? There’s not just the story on the surface, there is something underneath that.” The storytelling concept definitely makes for an intriguing experience and proves to be one of the main highlights of this album. Although the band is surprisingly more rowdy with the lyrics this time around, I think the contrast between the lyrics and subtle eccentric vibes showcases how different people can be from one another.
For starters, I enjoyed the more upbeat electronic sounds combined with a vivid string ensemble. I could find something that I enjoyed on nearly every track on the album, but my favorites have to be “Life Itself,” “Youth” and “Agnes.” The melodic tones in both “Life Itself” and “Youth” kept me interested as these first two songs of the album flow together nicely. The ending song of the album, “Agnes,” is a bit more lyrically heavy and adds a soulful feel to end the album in a thought-provoking way. Overall the tracks keep an upbeat vibe that easily transitions. I found it very easy to listen to the album all the way through without feeling slowed down or getting bored. I have been listening to this band for a little more than a year and I have a difficult time comparing their sound to other artists. I would have to say this is a good thing. This album is by no means perfect and neither are people or their stories. Which is what I think the album aims to portray through its entirety.
Alexa Tippett 
Jack Gienke 
Emma Tihen