Glass Animals- Zaba

By Delaney S. Saul

I first heard ‘Gooey,’ the most notable single off the album Zaba by Glass animals, in 2015 while riding in a car with a friend who would later betray me. But at the time, reader, she was good friend, and excited to show me a song she had recently discovered, despite knowing little about the band itself.

“Fresh out of an icky gooey womb” the lyrics said, smoothly. “Ew” I said. “Yes,” she said “ it’s good isn’t it,” “yes” I said, letting the thick words wash over my previously uninitiated ears. Despite the aural ecstasy of that dark car ride, it was several years until I heard more from the band Glass Animals.

Cut to 2017, the dead weight of a bad friend having been thoroughly shed and I was once again treated to a taste of Zaba by proxy of my my new boyfriend who has yet to betray me to this day. The love came back in a rush and I was soon addicted to the peanut butter vibes. 

Zaba by Glass Animals is an erotic medley of luscious jungle music and slithery, invigorating beats. The smooth vocals of the band’s frontman Dave Bayley accompany. Sly, snakelike lyrics abound, gripping and twisting one’s senses. Phrases like “your skinny lips dripping rabbit goo,” “pump your veins with gushing gold,” and “I’m a man, I’m a twisted fool” flow like poetry and the music’s tendrils will surely ensnare even the most critical listener. 

Hometown heroes they are not, at least for us at Earshot Press. These four lads hail from England. The closest link Washington may have to them is their song titled Walla Walla, a title that has little to nothing to do with the content of the song. Overall, this review is appropriate due to the band’s quality, not proximity.

Furthermore, the musicians have lives that can be closely coiled to one’s empathy. Their music was delayed in several years due to an intense injury sustained by their long suffering drummer, who was the victim of a bus accident and subsequent brain injury. Thankfully, drummer Joe’s recovery was swift and successful given the extent of his injuries, which were temporal enough to require him to relearn simple actions like walking and drumming.

Now the band is back on track. With its latest album, Dreamland, having been released in 2020, fans await a new release with bated breath. Until then, Zaba will remain a triumphant debut which I always promote as a no-skip album. Maybe it is worth having bad friends to discover good music, as long as you dump them after its discovery.

Delaney S. Saul lives in the Pacific Northwest. She can be found on Instagram at @slimegrrl