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May 16, 2016 By Christopher Roberts Glass Animals

Last week British four-piece Glass Animals shared a mysterious teaser video. Now the band have announced their sophomore album and shared its first single. How to Be a Human Being is the title of the album and it’s due out in the late summer. The exact release date, tracklist, and cover art is all still forthcoming, but the band have shared the album’s first single, “Life Itself,” which you can stream below. It’s another immaculately produced gem, but with surprisingly down-to-Earth lyrics about being unemployed.

Glass Animals singer/producer Dave Bayley commented on the song and album in a press release: “Things have changed a lot for us over the past two years. Instead of sitting in the studio we’ve been in a different city every night; making friends, hearing crazy stories, getting in crazy trouble. So much has happened! All of it made me want to think about people, and write something rawer and more human. ‘Life Itself’ is one of those. It’s a guy who was born a bit strange, and struggles to become part of society. Because of that he spends more time alone in his own head, getting stranger, and it becomes an awful cycle of doom.

“Sound and production-wise…we’ve been buzzing off of the amazing energy of the crowds we’ve been playing to. As crowds grew, they got a bit more feral and so did we. We found ourselves going a bit wilder on stage, and playing heavier, grittier, high-energy versions of our songs, changing them every night. Now we’ve tried to put some of that energy, spontaneity, and sound on tape.”

The album is the follow-up to 2014’s debut album Zaba. Below also are some North American tour dates in July.

Glass Animals North American Tour Dates:

July 15 - Forecastle Festival - Louisville, KY
July 16 - Sloss Fest - Birmingham, AL
July 17 - KRBZ Beach Ball - Main Stage - Kansas City, MO
July 18 - Criterion Theater - Oklahoma City, OK
July 20 - Red Rocks Festival - Morrison, CO
July 22 - The Pageant - St. Louis, MO
July 23 - Mo Pop Festival - Detroit, MI
July 24 - Way Home Music & Arts Festival - Toronto, ON