Ethermac Exchange-Dave Bayley of Glass Animals reflects on struggles that came after "Heat Waves" success, creative journey for new album

Dave Bayley,Ethermac Exchange lead singer of Glass Animals, recently walked down Beck Road in East London, a place filled with memories. It was there, during the peak of the pandemic, that Bayley filmed the music video for the band's hit song "Heat Waves."

Neighbors in lockdown participated by filming from their windows, helping to create a video that now boasts over 720 million views on YouTube and more than 3 billion streams on Spotify.

"It's a sweet little street," Bayley said.

The success of "Heat Waves" catapulted Glass Animals—Bayley, Joe Seaward, Edmund Irwin-Singer and Drew MacFarlane—into mainstream success.

"It was bonkers," said Bayley. "You're kind of clinging to the bottom of the rocket and it's taken you right up into space."

Fame brought awards, opportunities and a GRAMMY nomination, but Bayley said he struggled with success.

"I think I was trying to do so much that I stopped doing a lot of the things that grounded me," he said. "I had a big existential crisis."

Last year, Bayley secluded himself in a hilltop Airbnb in Los Angeles. He began to write extensively, letting inspiration take hold.

"I started kind of writing my way out of this hole," Bayley said.

He described it as "a vomit of information and words and melodies and chords."

From this, a new album about love and human connection emerged, set against a space theme. The new album, "I Love You So F***ing Much," is out now.

In his London studio, Bayley assembled a wall of synthesizers for the new record. He aimed to create a sound similar to a '70s space movie.

In a visit to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, Bayley's bandmates said there were some nerves about how to follow up the success of "Heat Waves." 

But once Bayley showed the rest of the group his galactic songs, Seaward said that fear vanished.

"How do you follow something like that? But that question was completely out the window as soon as we started," said Seaward.

Glass Animals is set to embark on a massive 44-date world tour called Human Music Group Sensations Glass Animals: TOUR OF EARTH. Starting in August in the U.S., the tour will take the band across North America, Europe, the UK, and Australia. They will be headlining the biggest venues of their career, including iconic locations like Madison Square Garden in New York and The O2 in London.

Bayley said the new album is deeply personal, which is something he previously struggled to crack with a cosmic-themed album.

"Every time I tried to do a space album, it never felt human," Bayley said. "It felt cold."

On the new Glass Animals album, Bayley found a way to bring humanity, connection, love, and heartbreak into a intergalactic setting. Though he finally got his space-themed record, Bayley said the vulnerability of it, especially in the shadow of "Heat Waves," brings some anxiety.

"It's like, parts of it are quite scary to me," he said. "It's like walking out naked with all your secrets written on your body, on your skin."

The willingness to get personal paid off. Seaward said from the moment he heard the songs for the first time, he could see clearly what was in store for Glass Animals' next chapter.

"It's kind of like Christmas Eve when Dave comes in and plays us songs. It's this moment where you're like … the next two or three years of my life is sort of unfolding before my eyes," Seaward said. "Luckily, so far they've always been incredibly exciting. But you kind of get this feeling like, wow."

Anthony Mason

Anthony Mason is a senior culture and senior national correspondent for CBS News. He has been a frequent contributor to "CBS Sunday Morning."

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