Glass Animals Vinyl Records
The skilled genre-mashers in Oxford, England's Glass Animals bring synth pop, indie, R&B, and hip-hop together in innovative and inviting ways. On 2014's ZABA, Dave Bayley's androgynous falsetto and surreal lyrics fit perfectly with the album's hypnotic beats, rippling guitars, and aquatic synths, resulting in slightly alien yet alluring tracks like the certified platinum single "Gooey." Glass Animals expanded their perspective on 2016's Mercury Prize-nominated How to Be a Human Being, a set of artful character sketches that revealed new dimensions to their music as well as Bayley's songwriting.