Glass Animals’ new album, “How to Be a Human Being,” is a delightfully sexy romp through imagery-filled lyrics, ridiculous addictive beats and beautiful melodies. It’s familiar and comforting as lead singer Dave Bayley croons his way through strange and baffling situations that make up the human condition.

Unlike their first album, “Zaba,” this album is based off of experiences with people the band met on tour. Whether it’s the girl who eats mayonnaise while blazed, or a father fiercely raising his freckled son, Glass Animals has surely covered everything.

The album’s use of storytelling feels like a departure from 2014’s “Zaba.” While “Zaba” felt more like a slow burn, sleepier in sound but not in seduction, “How to Be a Human Being” is aggressive and in your face. There’s nothing implied, nothing hinted at. Instead, it’s laid out and bare for the listener to consume.

The effect is a recording process that is seemingly more evolved. While “Zaba” is still an incredible album, “How to Be a Human Being” extends those songs in a familiar way. Their latest release adds onto “Zaba” without stepping too far from their original sound. The two albums are different, yes, but still related: “How to Be a Human Being” jolts listeners, and “Zaba” soothes them.

Nevertheless, there still a sense of experimentation. “Cane Shuga,” for example, with its layered auto-tuned chorus, is almost hypnotically intense and hard to understand, sounding absolutely nothing like any of the songs on “Zaba,” creating a song worthy of any night filled with dancing.

“Mama’s Gun,” returns closer into “Zaba,” territory, with a sleepier, threatening vibe, layered with strange sounds in the background reminiscent of their first album. It builds, it creeps and the result is a song that feels almost humid, just like the summer Bayley is singing about.

“Season 2, Episode 3,” is another fantastic departure, with sliding keyboard and a furious pace, as Bayley spits out lyrics. The sound is almost ska-like but with the occasional ping of weirdness that keeps it fresh.

Another standout is “Agnes,” which is almost ballad-like in sound, and comes across as sort of sweet but also beautiful. It’s less sexual and more romantic, a bold step for a band that wanted to “feel your peanut butter vibes,” as stated in their most popular song, “Gooey.”

While “How to Be a Human Being,” might not have the intense sexuality that its predecessor did, the changes in sound and the experimentation will keep listeners enthralled with the honesty of the experiences Bayley sings about. In the end, the album doesn’t just teach us about the human condition as Glass Animals intended, but educates us on all of the sounds that make people so painfully human.

Published on August 30, 2016 at 10:19 pm