Glass Animals’ sophomore release How To Be a Human Being drops on 26 August, and with it the weight of expectation. But for Glass Animals, there’s been little time for trepidation.

“We were touring our debut album Zaba for about two years,” drummer Joe Seaward explains. “We came straight off the tour in America, we came back and just got straight into it.”

As a result, the LP is a product of their time on the road and the many people they met along the way. “It occurred to Dave (Glass Animals frontman) that it would be a really interesting thing to try and look at the way people tell stories,” Seaward explains. “People can tell you hilarious stories with a very sad face or a disgusting story in a really beautiful way, and that idea is what we try to channel.”

These encounters provide inspiration for the songs on the album, described by Seaward as a “soundtrack” with each song based on a fictional character. “It’s the same way that James Bond has a theme song. He’s sleek, cool, sexy and shimmers around corners with a gun in a really smart suit – and the theme song reflects that.”

Seaward provides their most recently-released single off the album, ‘Youth,’ as an example of this. “On the surface you could listen to that song and see something positive and happy that makes you want to dance – underneath there’s actually a very sad sentiment.”

How to be a Human Being is an opportunity for Glass Animals to provide a broader spectrum of sounds and feelings. For Seaward, extensive touring encouraged the band to think differently about their music. “Seeing the way that people react to things like the big bass and heavy drums and energy definitely had an impact on the new record,” he explains.

Indeed, 2014 release Zaba – for all its popularity from singles like ‘Gooey’ and ‘Black Mambo’ – is careful and introspective. Back then, the band was more worried about making mistakes, but experience has led to a bolder, more spontaneous follow-up album. “It’s a bit rougher around the edges… I absolutely love Zaba and I’m very proud of it, but looking back on it, it has less dimension than this one,” says Seaward.

The single ‘Life Itself,’ also released earlier this year, demonstrates this growth. It begins with Glass Animals’ customary tribal drums and intricate layering of sounds, but the chorus belongs to the disco floor rather than the hazy comedown that tends to personify their music.

To bring these new songs to life in video form, Glass Animals worked with photographer and film director Neil Krug. The LA-based artist has collaborated with numerous musicians including Lana Del Rey, Tame Impala and Ratatat, and is renowned for imbuing nostalgia and innocence in his work. This treatment is recognisable in the ’70s Americana motor inn setting where ‘Youth’ and ‘Life Itself’ were filmed.

“The thing that was cool about the music videos was that they were somebody else’s interpretation of the songs and the characters in the stories,” explains Seaward. Krug was provided with the lyrics and background to the songs and the characters represented in them. Though the band members were present during the filming and Krug discussed what he was thinking, Krug’s interpretation is very much his own.

Likewise, Seaward is keen for fans to make their own conclusions about the meaning of the new album. “‘Life Itself’ means something to me but my interpretation of it isn’t right or wrong. To me it’s about this guy who’s an outcast in society. The fact that he’s ostracised makes it even more difficult, it’s this vicious circle and he’s wacky so he’s looking for UFOs and making guns in his little laboratory in his grandma’s basement. But it’s more interesting for people to use their own imagination… if people engage on their own level it will mean a lot more to them than if I tell you what the right answer is.”

Glass Animals embark on a US and European tour from this week until November, and they’re tight-lipped about what’s in store from then onwards. After their brief Australian East Coast tour in July this year it seems a given that they’ll find their way back on some Australian summer festival bills.

Until then, Australian fans will need to rely on the recordings for their Glass Animals fix – and that’s only if this release is received as well as their debut. “If people don’t like it I’ll still love it,” explains Seaward. “That’s all we can really do, and if people love it too then that’s brilliant.”

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