The Accident
On July 2 of 2018 Glass Animals drummer Joe Seaward was nearly killed.
It happened quickly. He was riding his bicycle down a city street in Dublin, Ireland. All of a sudden, a big truck came down the same road and the two collided. Seaward's leg was broken on impact and he became tangled in the trailer of the truck, causing him to further suffer from a severe complex fracture in his skull.
It was a tragic event, but it inspired something great. And sometimes that's what it takes. In this post, I will explain how Joe Seaward's life-threatening experience was a direct influence in the themes and production of the enchanting 2020 Glass Animals album "Dreamland."
The Recovery
After the accident, the band posted on Instagram, making the public aware of what had happened. They said, "Last Monday our best friend, and our drummer Joe Seaward was hit by a truck while on his bike here in Dublin." After describing the incident the band went on further to share, "Miraculously and thankfully, he is alive. After a couple long operations he is now on the road to recovery.”
Those operations were dangerous and life-threatening. Dave Bayley, the singer of the group, said, "My best friend was in the hospital. I didn’t know if he’d make it. The future was damn scary and completely unknown.”
On Abc.net the drummer explained that he had to relearn how to talk, walk, and read again after his injury. And although it was a while before he could sit down in front of a drum kit again, he committed himself to relearning his instrument.
But the question still remained... What was to become of the band?
A New Songwriting Process
Dave Bayley had a lot of time to reflect while his buddy was recovering from his near-death experience. “During those weeks in the hospital, it was so difficult to look forwards that I found myself looking backwards. Digging around in my mind, pulling up old memories, finding comfort in them even if they were uncomfortable in themselves,” Bayley said in an interview with spin.com.
Rather than focusing on what the Electro-Alternative band was best known for (wacky, weird lyrics), Bayley decided that the next album had to be much more personal. It was supposed to reflect the desire each of us has in retreating into the past in what we listen to, what we talk about, and even what we eat.
You can easily hear the difference this time around.
Dreamland
Memories, nostalgia, and dreams of a better life are present all over the newest Glass Animals record. "Pulling down backstreets deep in your head, slipping through dreamland like a tourist," Bayley sings on the self-titled opening track of "Dreamland." The song ends with the self-reflecting commentary, "You go ask your questions like 'what makes a man?' Oh, it's 2020 so it's time to change that so you go make an album and call it Dreamland."
The lyrics represent the mental evaluation that Bayley encountered while going through such a hard time. Though his friend was in critical condition, the Glass Animals singer made the most of his situation and turned his sorrow into song.
This story shows just what makes music so great. It's a way to escape. And for Glass Animals, it was a way to recover from the past and embrace the future.
Comments