With July approaching in just a few short days, it’s time to start assessing the field for the annual, and unofficial, Song of the Summer sweepstakes. Sure, we might not even have a summer, especially with *gestures wildly at everything*, but we have no shortage of songs. Glass Animals have tossed their own candidate into the ring today (June 29) with the release of “Heat Waves”.
The ultra slick, bass thumper of an alt-pop track serves as the latest cut from the band’s forthcoming third album Dreamland, which hits August 7 via Republic. The LP has been delayed “in order to respect and support the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement,” according to the band.
“Heat Waves” comes complete with a music video, directed by Colin Read and produced by Pulse Films, and you can watch it below.
“The ‘Heat Waves’ video is a love letter to live music and the culture and togetherness surrounding it,” says Glass Animals ringleader Dave Bayley.
“It was filmed at the peak of the lockdown in my neighborhood in East London by the lovely people who live around me, just using their phones. These are people who are usually out at shows, in galleries, going to cinemas, etc. These venues are left empty now, and many of them will not survive. The song is about loss and longing, and ultimately realizing you are unable to save something… and this video is about that but for art, being together and human contact. Huge love and thank you’s to everyone who got involved and helped out. When everyone was leaning out of their windows filming, I felt that same sense of togetherness and spine-tingling energy that happened at live shows. It made the coldness of performing to an empty room with the band stuck on screens feel even more heart-breaking.”
Song of the summer? We’ll see. Making us feel slightly more normal this summer? Mission accomplished.