What a year it has been so far, right? And although the Corona pandemic is forcing us to revaluate our lives it’s pretty much nothing compared to the summer two years ago of Glass Animals drummer Joe Seaward who was involved in a life-threatening bicycle accident in Dublin. That event was traumatic one which had a huge impact not only on Seaward but also the entire band. The drummer learned to talk, walk and drum again in a slow but steady progress while this experience directly influenced the music of the band’s new album and the songwriting process of group leader Dave Bayley. Confusion and uncertainty shaped the songs of their upcoming third full-length Dreamland. “My best friend was in the hospital,” he recalls the situation. “I didn’t know if he’d make it. The future was damn scary and completely unknown. 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. Speaking to friends and family, I’ve realised that a lot of people are experiencing a similar sort of confusion now. Everything that we thought we could see clearly in front of us has been thrown into the air, and all the while, we can’t be out finding our footing.”
This longing for something to ground you in real life really turned into the concept of Dreamland which arrives on August 7, almost two years after Seaward’s life-changing experience. It’s a fitting album for the pandemic summer of 2020 and we are very thrilled to have the beloved forward-thinking group back with new material. And, obviously we are more than happy that Joe is back at full strength so we invited him to share music with us and you folks; music that perfectly fits for the confusing yet somehow liberating pandemic summer of 2020. Joe picked twenty tunes for our Smooth Summer Day Playlist on Spotify and we couldn’t be happier about his adventurous and surprising selection. He describes the setting for this selection with the following words:
“This is a summer playlist. It’s a summer evening I’m on holiday on an island … this is what I would have sound tracking it. Starting late afternoon, through early evening and into the night …”
So, indeed, it’s a sun-drenched summer day playlist with songs from Mura Masa, D’Angelo, Amy Winehouse, Minnie Riperton, the late great Bill Withers and plenty of less popular songs you should definitely know. If you love your Spotify playlists as a place for discoveries this is a perfect one. Please note that Joe’s selection was only available for a limited amout of time. Some of his fabulous picks have now merged with our own ones, resulting in an even longer playlist experience. So, make sure to play this one at your next pool party or outdoor activity. It’s a fitting celebration of life and we can all use that right now so have fun with this one.
