Hazey

Quite a Personal Thing

Hazey by Glass Animals

Recommended by Tim

Favorite thing: the "obscure tropical percussion" (x).

Immediately, I was drawn in by that hollow, wooden, fingers-snapping, bubbles-popping mix of noises that runs just below the surface of this track.

Apparently it's not just this song. Lead vocalist, composer and producer Dave Bayley spread the jungle timbres and wild ambiance throughout the album. Background noises were created using a variety of methods including deep stuff like recording natural sounds in Bayley's backyard as well as using unusual instruments, such as cooking utensils and children's toys (x).

Bayley also explains the vocal line:

To me, ‘Hazey’ is about a parental character who has abandoned those values and eventually becomes wracked by regret. That character speaks in the choruses in the falsetto voice. The verses are spoken by that character’s child in full voice. This boy has matured quickly to pick up the pieces dropped by his parent. It was his attitude that I thought was summed up by the bone breakers. (source)

The song kind of sounds sad and haunted, so I'm not surprised by the dramatic meaning of the lyrics. That said, I'm going to ignore them.

The power of this song is in the musicality, not the lyrics. I'm transported to the middle of the Amazon by the sounds of the jungle, and I don't have time to deal with the memory of struggles endured in childhood.

Overview:

Genre:
Indietronica / Psychadelic Pop

Favorite Lyrics:
Just you say the reason why
I can calm you.

Verdict:
a really enjoyable song to listen to if you ignore the lyrics