Glass Animals
Glass Animals continue to evolve their sonic universe with today’s release of “Vampire Bat,” the fifth entry in their exploratory Fresh Fruit series. A hypnotic, off-kilter track that leans into the band’s genre-defying tendencies, “Vampire Bat” finds frontman Dave Bayley collaborating with acclaimed producer Rob Bisel (SZA, Doja Cat) to deliver something equal parts eerie and irresistible.
The Fresh Fruit series has long served as a creative playground for the British quartet, with previous releases featuring artists like Joey Bada$$, Denzel Curry, and Albert Hammond Jr. These stand-alone experiments operate as windows into the band’s restless imagination—untethered from album cycles and radio expectations. “Vampire Bat” is no exception: Built around sharp, syncopated rhythms, elastic synths, and Bayley’s signature falsetto, it feels like Glass Animals at their weirdest and most exhilarating.
Speaking about the track, Bayley teased, “This one came out of a late-night writing session with Rob [Bisel] after listening to a bunch of horror movie soundtracks. It’s about the people who suck the life out of you—but in the most danceable way possible.”
The single lands as the band continues the North American leg of their Tour of Earth, a globe-spanning live campaign supporting their fourth studio album, I Love You So F**ing Much. Released last year, the sci-fi-inspired concept record explored intimacy in a digitized world and featured surreal production, narrative visuals, and soaring pop hooks that cemented Glass Animals’ status as one of modern music’s most innovative acts.
So far, Tour of Earth has seen euphoric sets at The O2 Arena in London and Madison Square Garden in New York, with upcoming performances slated for Governors Ball, Bonnaroo, and Spain’s Mad Cool Festival. Fans in the U.S. can also catch the band at more intimate venues, including the iconic Stone Pony in New Jersey—a nod to their cult-like fanbase and DIY roots.
Glass Animals first broke global ground with their 2020 juggernaut Dreamland, which went on to sell more than 12 million copies and birthed the chart-dominating anthem “Heat Waves.” That single not only spent 59 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 but made history as the first UK band to reach No. 1 on the chart in nearly three decades.
With “Vampire Bat,” Glass Animals once again prove they have no interest in playing it safe. Whether experimenting in the Fresh Fruit lab or headlining massive festivals, their instinct to blur genre, sound, and concept remains the core of their enduring appeal.
And for a band that already lives in the future, “Vampire Bat” might just be a hint at what’s next.
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