Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.5/10[4]
Metacritic74/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Consequence of SoundB[7]
DIY[8]
Financial Times[9]
The Guardian[10]
Mixmag9/10[11]
Mojo[12]
NME4/5[13]
Q[14]
The Skinny[15]

How to Be a Human Being is the second studio album by English indie rock group Glass Animals. It was released on 26 August 2016 by Wolf Tone and Caroline International in Europe, and Harvest Records in the United States.[16] Each of the eleven songs throughout the album represent a different person and their experiences.

The album received generally favourable reviews from music critics, who complimented its "sense of wonder" and "immediate impression", but felt it was somewhat premature.[17] The album was nominated for the 2017 Mercury Prize.

Background

Following the release of their debut studio album Zaba, Glass Animals began an aggressive tour which saw them play over 140 concerts in Europe, Australia, the United States and Mexico. They appeared at Glastonbury, Falls Music Festival and Southbound in 2014, Coachella, Wakarusa, Bonnaroo, Firefly, Glastonbury again, Lollapalooza, Osheaga and Reading and Leeds in 2015, and the Forecastle Festival in 2016.[18]

How to Be a Human Being was simultaneously announced with the release of "Life Itself" and its respective music video.[19] The foursome toured Australia for their second time, before they returned to North America for the album's release. Four days after the album was released, the band appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, their third appearance on primetime television.[20]

The band wrote eleven songs based on eleven different characters, many of which were inspired by people they met and stories they were told during their travels while promoting Zaba.[21] Each character was portrayed on the album cover, and some appeared in music videos for their respective songs.[22]

Commercial performance

The album made a debut on US charts with first week sales of 14,575 copies, with 10,117 being pure album sales.[23][24]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Life Itself"
4:41
2."Youth"Bayley3:51
3."Season 2 Episode 3"
  • Bayley
  • Ben McFadden
4:04
4."Pork Soda"Bayley4:14
5."Mama's Gun"
4:27
6."Cane Shuga"Bayley3:17
7."[Premade Sandwiches][a]"Bayley0:36
8."The Other Side of Paradise"Bayley5:21
9."Take a Slice"Bayley3:50
10."Poplar St"Bayley4:23
11."Agnes"Bayley4:32
Total length:43:16

Personnel

Glass Animals

  • Dave Bayley – vocals, programming, production (all tracks), guitar (1, 2, 4, 5, 8–10), percussion (1–5, 8–11); keyboards, synthesizer (1, 3–5, 8–11); art direction, design
  • Drew MacFarlane – programming (1, 3–11), percussion (1–5, 8–11), keyboards, synthesizer (1, 3–5, 8–11), additional vocals (3, 8), guitar (4, 5, 9, 10), piano (11)
  • Edmund Irwin-Singer – programming (1, 3–11), keyboards (1, 3–5, 8–11), percussion (1–5, 8–11); piano, synthesizer (1, 3–5, 8–11)
  • Joe Seaward – drums, percussion (1–5, 8–11); additional vocals (4), programming (6, 7)

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[25] 11
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[26] 68
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[27] 151
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[28] 50
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[29] 77
French Albums (SNEP)[30] 120
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[31] 2
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 87
UK Albums (OCC)[33] 23
US Billboard 200[34] 20
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[35] 2

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[36] Gold 35,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] Gold 100,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ^ On CD copies of the album, "Premade Sandwiches" is put at the end of the track "Cane Shuga" instead of being its own track.

References

  1. ^ "iTunes – Music – Life Itself – Single". iTunes. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  2. ^ "Glass Animals unveil new song "Youth" and video – watch". 27 July 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  3. ^ "Season 2 Episode 3 – Single". iTunes. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  4. ^ "How To Be A Human Being by Glass Animals reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Reviews for How To Be a Human Being by Glass Animals". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  6. ^ Phares, Heather. "How to Be a Human Being – Glass Animals". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  7. ^ Freebairn, Mandy (1 September 2016). "Glass Animals – How To Be a Human Being". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  8. ^ Milton, Jamie (25 August 2016). "Glass Animals – How to be a Human Being". DIY. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  9. ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (2 September 2016). "Glass Animals: How to Be a Human Being — review". Financial Times. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  10. ^ Gibsone, Harriet (25 August 2016). "Glass Animals: How to Be a Human Being review – colourful stories, awkward grooves". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  11. ^ "Glass Animals 'How To Be A Human Being' (Wolf Tone)". Mixmag. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  12. ^ Prior, Clive (October 2016). "Glass Animals: How to Be a Human Being". Mojo (275): 100.
  13. ^ Bartleet, Larry (24 August 2016). "Glass Animals – 'How To Be A Human Being' Review". NME. Archived from the original on 25 August 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  14. ^ Segal, Victoria (November 2016). "Glass Animals: How to Be a Human Being". Q (365): 107.
  15. ^ Moss, Will (9 August 2016). "Glass Animals – How to Be a Human Being". The Skinny. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  16. ^ "Glass Animals – How To Be A Human Being". discogs. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  17. ^ How to Be a Human Being by Glass Animals, retrieved 22 December 2016
  18. ^ "Search for setlists: artist:(Glass Animals) | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  19. ^ "Glass Animals Announce New Album 'How To Be A Human Being', Share Video For First Single 'Life Itself' – Music Feeds". Music Feeds. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  20. ^ "Watch Glass Animals Perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live!". Paste. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  21. ^ Kennedy, Mark (9 September 2016). "Glass Animals focus on others on terrific new CD". The Daily Sentinel. Vol. 123, no. 296. p. 33.
  22. ^ Tijerina, Daniela (3 November 2016). "Glass Animals On "How To Be A Human Being"". Nylon. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  23. ^ "HITS Daily Double". Archived from the original on 2 September 2016.
  24. ^ "HITS Daily Double". Archived from the original on 2 September 2016.
  25. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Glass Animals – How to Be a Human Being". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  26. ^ "Ultratop.be – Glass Animals – How to Be a Human Being" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  27. ^ "Ultratop.be – Glass Animals – How to Be a Human Being" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  28. ^ "Glass Animals Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  29. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Glass Animals – How to Be a Human Being" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  30. ^ "Lescharts.com – Glass Animals – How to Be a Human Being". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  31. ^ "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  32. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Glass Animals – How to Be a Human Being". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  33. ^ "Glass Animals | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  34. ^ "Glass Animals Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  35. ^ "Glass Animals Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  36. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  37. ^ "British album certifications – Glass Animals – How to Be a Human Being". British Phonographic Industry.


Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Be_a_Human_Being
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