Glass Animals - Life Itself

Tropical though it may have been, Glass Animals’ debut album ‘Zaba’ was submerged in gloom. Content to rustle around in the undergrowth, its twisted take on jungle-pop was defined by whispers and shadows. On ‘Life Itself’, they’re brushing off the twigs and bugs, and hop-skipping out into the sunlight, piña coladas in hand.

Bouncy and bongo-led, the second iteration of Glass Animals finds them polishing their diamonds, rather than opting for reinvention. Buffed up and shimmering like never before, they’re a thousand times more confident - “She said I look fat, but I look fantastic,” smirks frontman Dave Bailey before they leap headlong into their brightest chorus to date. All fidgety, colliding time-signatures and a toy-box of instrumentation, Glass Animals feel reborn, shedding the murky skin of ‘Zaba’ in favour of a kaleidoscopic new set of scales.

For years, Glass Animals have teetered on the edge of greatness, somehow finding crowds of thousands across the globe without ever burrowing out of the underground. ‘Life Itself’ is evidence that they’re ready to break free - a flamboyant swan-dive into the deep and shimmering lagoon of pop perfection.