Glass Animals continues the tradition of feeding their fans a fruit-themed single with “Vampire Bat”.
In 2015, Glass Animals debuted “Gold Lime,” a mashup cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Gold Lion” and Erykah Badu’s “The Healer.” This was the start of Fresh Fruit, a series of standalone singles in collaboration with other artists or producers, allowing the band to experiment with new sounds. Four songs have since been released in the series: “Lose Control,” “Tokyo Drifting” (with Denzel Curry), “I Don’t Wanna Talk, I Just Wanna Dance” (with Albert Hammond Jr.) and “Vampire Bat.”
“Vampire Bat” is a collaboration with producer Rob Bisel, known for working with artists such as SZA, Harry Styles, The Strokes and Tyler, The Creator. If that range of artists is surprising to you, you’ll be even more shocked by Glass Animals. Glass Animals have never been defined by genre, shining in their range. “Vampire Bat” is no exception, featuring sounds common to the electronic, hip-hop and rock worlds. This newest addition to the series is full to the brim with complexities.
“Bet you feel like a rock star, don’t you now? /
I know you get off every time you get me down /
Like a rock star gone too far /
You got us all living on a seesaw now.”
Glass Animals are incredibly well-known for their storytelling. While “Vampire Bat” may appear sexual in nature, the lyrics reveal themselves to be just as layered as the music itself. The speaker sings of someone in power getting gratification from putting others down. The vampire allusions support the idea of being used, whether that be by an entity or an individual. The speaker continuously references an impending doomsday, expressing that they’d rather live in childlike innocence than go out of their way to fix things. That is not even to mention the subjects of misinformation and addiction expressed in the song. For further analysis, you’ll just have to take a listen yourself.
Glass Animals are no strangers to being multilayered, both in lyrics and musicality. “Vampire Bat” is a perfect example of the band’s complex range.
