Glass Animals - I Love You So F***ing Much (Album Review)
Friday, 19 July 2024
Written by Adam England
Photo: Lillie Eiger
Glass Animals have been a popular band for a decade but the breakout success of their 2020 album ‘Dreamland’ – in particular the slow-burn smash hit Heat Waves – propelled them to unexpected heights.
British groups don’t tend to score number one singles in America, not to mention a top 10 album on the Billboard 200, and the knock on effect is that ‘I Love You So F***ing Much’ emerges into a unique space, operating under levels of scrutiny that would have been entirely alien pre-’Dreamland’.
Glass Animals don’t exactly thrive in these new environs — the LP flows beautifully, but the trade-off is that it can sometimes be difficult to tell one song from another.
It’s no surprise that singles Creatures in Heaven and A Tear In Space (Airlock) are among the strongest moments here — they’re also perhaps the two tracks that would fit best on ‘Dreamland’. But, in truth, the whole of ‘I Love You So F***ing Much’ isn’t a world away.
Stylistically, and sonically, frontman Dave Bayley and company haven’t exactly ripped up the rulebook, even if this does feel a little more guitar-oriented than previous offerings.
Opener Show Pony begins with a subdued acoustic guitar and warbling riff that feels somewhat out of character, but normal squelchy psych-pop service is quickly resumed. “Show pony making it burn / That’s how revenge is served / Make it cold that it hurts,” sings Bayley.
Propelled by a pumping beat and an anthemic chorus, What The Hell Is Happening? is more upbeat, while the penultimate track On the Run is among the more vulnerable cuts as Bayley wears his heart on his sleeve. “There’s no fixing this / Thanks for all the fears,” he sings.
It’s a genuinely touching track that would be a much better album closer than the dreary Lost in the Ocean. But while that is a rare deflating mis-step, in truth there’s no real stand-out moment to point to as its opposite. This a perfectly serviceable album but it’s hard to imagine anyone loving it, let alone loving it so f***ing much.
Glass Animals Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed October 30 2024 - DUBLIN 3Arena
Fri November 01 2024 - GLASGOW OVO Hydro
Sat November 02 2024 - MANCHESTER Co-op Live
Sun November 03 2024 - NOTTINGHAM Motorpoint Arena Nottingham
Tue November 05 2024 - CARDIFF Cardiff International Arena
Thu November 07 2024 - LONDON O2 Arena
Mon December 09 2024 - KINGSTON UPON THAMES PRYZM Kingston
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