STACK #237 July 2024

MUSIC FEATURE

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HEART OF GLASS G lass Animals’ third album was a blockbuster. Dreamland rocketed into the Top 10 in Australia, the US and UK, while its fourth What follows Dreamland ? For Glass Animals, success brought its own nightmares. wasn’t sure how. It confused me to the point of not knowing who I was, or if anything was real.” But then Bayley was saved by the universe’s

single, Heat Waves , spent seven weeks at number one in Australia and also topped Triple J’s Hottest 100. But after the Heat Waves , came the chill. “Life can change dramatically, but sometimes you aren’t able to change as quickly on a personal level,” reflects singer Dave Bayley. The British band found themselves wide awake after Dreamland . Success hit the singer hard. “You end up feeling like a spectator. And then you are asked and expected to be a certain type of person. But I

oldest songwriting inspiration – love.

“The universe may make

us feel overwhelmingly small, but we have this human connection that is far vaster and more

I Love You So F***ing Much by Glass Animals is out July 19 via Polydor

Joe Seaward, Drew MacFarlane, Edmund Irwin-Singer and Dave Bayley

mysterious. Love comes in an infinite number of forms and shapes and sizes. It is so complex and so powerful that even witnessing the tiniest instance of it can change your life forever.” Glass Animals decided to call their fourth album I Love You So F***ing Much . “These words take on a different meaning every time you say them,” Bayley believes. Jeff Jenkins

GLASS ACT Who was the first person to hear Glass Animals’ biggest hit? Dave Bayley thought he was alone at The Church, a studio in North London, when he finished the Heat Waves demo. Then he heard a guy at the back of the room, playing piano. It was Johnny Depp. The movie star was making a record in the next studio.

CHARM OFFENSIVE Third time’s a Charm for American singer-songwriter Clairo.

FUN FACT Clairo collects tin whistles. Strangely, she discovered a Scottish store when she was on tour in Salt Lake City. She bought a tin whistle. And then she bought more. Her new album features some tin whistle. “Tin

T he press release for Clairo’s third album, Charm , has a lovely description of her sophisticated sound, calling it “a collection of warm, ’70s-inspired grooves that move lithely between jazz, psychedelic folk, and soul”. The American singer is just 25, but she’s an old soul. “I love Carole King,” she says, highlighting one of her main inspirations. “I think that era of music and everything she was surrounded by – the whole Laurel Canyon squad – is kind of what I’m going for.” Clairo, whose full name is Claire Cottrill, started playing covers

on YouTube when she was 13, before posting her own songs on Soundcloud. “I had this tiny following,” she recalls. Then she made Pretty Girl in 2017 and the video went viral. “I’m not really sure what happened, but everything just aligned at that point.” Clairo is excited about the sound of Charm , which she made with producer Leon Michels, a founding member of The Dap-Kings. Charm is tipped to be Clairo’s breakthrough album in Australia, where she is yet to crack the Top 40 (her 2019 debut, Immunity , peaked at number 73, while 2021’s Sling stalled at 88). Jeff Jenkins

whistles are underrated,” she says.

TATTOO YOU Clairo has an intriguing tattoo on her left arm: A.E.C, G.A.C, A.P.C. They are the initials of her mum, dad and sister. She got the tattoo in Australia when she was part of the Laneway festival in 2019.

Charm by Clairo is out July 19 via Virgin

Clairo

10 JULY 2024

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