British psychedelic rock band Glass Animals continues riding the high from their latest album, "I Love You So F***ing Much," with the release of their anticipated single, "Vampire Bat." The band includes lead singer Dave Bayley, guitarist Drew MacFarlane, bassist Edmund Erwin-Singer, and drummer Joe Seaward.
"Vampire Bat" was teased in a post where lead singer Dave Bayley asked if fans wanted "strawberry" or "kiwi" first, with two snippets of unreleased tracks corresponding to the fruit. Then, the band started teasing the single with kiwis until its release announcement on July 28.
The band performed the song live for the first time at the Steelhouse in Omaha, Nebraska, to make up for a short interruption from fire alarms in the venue.
Glass Animals makes a nod to the "kiwi" imagery from the single’s promotion with a fork-stabbed kiwi in the center of the cover art. The song is incredibly composed by Bayley and Rob Bisel, mastered by Chris Gehringer, and mixed by Manny Marroquin, Ramiro Fernandez-Seoane, and Francesco Di Giovanni.
Many of Glass Animals’ songs have such a specific sound with psychedelic synth and melancholy lyrics. “Vampire Bat” fits perfectly into that definition with a kaleidoscopic sound found throughout their music.
"Vampire Bat" is mixed beautifully. The synth, scale-like beat in the background fits Glass Animals’ sound perfectly, fitting their specific sound. It’s catchy and the perfect earworm because of the uniform synth beat throughout the song. It itches my brain perfectly.
Glass Animals made the perfect decision to open with the chorus for "Vampire Bat," as it sets up the song perfectly and hooks their audience immediately with its catchy lyrics and Bayley’s smooth vocals.
One lyric was teased earlier in a comment on an Instagram post:"did u know that a kiwi is a cross between a strawberry and a lime?" which pops up in the first verse of "Vampire Bat." The melancholy lyrics remain throughout the song, such as "I know you get off every time you get me down like a rock star gone too far." Glass Animals also makes their classic nerdy references throughout the song, including nods to Donkey Kong, "Dennis the Menace," "Calvin & Hobbes," and nursery rhymes.
"Vampire Bat" is easily recognizable as a Glass Animals song, and you can feel Bayley’s prominent, iconic energy seen in performances through his vocals. If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing Glass Animals in concert, Bayley is constantly moving and shows intense emotions in response to his fans’ appreciation. It is an incredible single, and I am excited to hear what’s next from Glass Animals.
Stream the single here and check out Glass Animals’ upcoming tour dates here.
