This four-track EP collects tracks from two recent singles ahead of a debut album expected next year and produced by Paul Epworth (Paul McCartney, Adele, Bloc Party). Whether or not any of these four songs will be on the album, on the basis of what’s here it’s one to look out for.
And that’s basically due to opening track ‘Psylla’ alone. The production on the drums is perfect; everything hangs in the air after it lands, making time slow to a crawl. Watery effects exist in the distance, a lazy guitar solo comes in and out, and a consistent harmony anchors the entire thing. It’s a marvel.
After that high watermark, the following three tracks are more simple indie with a heavy R&B element bubbling underneath, making them sound as much like The Weeknd as they do Alt-J.
In ‘Black Mambo’ for instance, keys, guitar lines, echoey vocal coos and other samples are all present, making everything slinky. There’s a consistent dark ambience to the proceedings, as well as the aforementioned inch-perfect drum tracks. The drums are the stars all over the EP.
A lot of work has gone into these tracks. Some of it is so subtle that it’s almost a shame that the background sounds aren’t more upfront. But the production is so perfect that after the EP finishes you’re left thinking just one thing: Glass Animals know exactly what they’re doing.
Indie-soul sounds like a ghastly genre, but in the hands of Glass Animals, it works and works well.
4/5 stars
BY LEONARDO SILVESTRINI
Glass Animals is out now through Wolf Tone/Caroline.
