How to Be a Human Being

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] 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] There are a total of 11 songs on the track listing, along with 11 characters illustrated on the cover art. Each song, along with its unique personality and quirks, represents a person on the album. The album was nominated for the 2017 Mercury Prize.

How to Be a Human Being
Studio album by
Glass Animals
Released26 August 2016
StudioWolf Tone Studios (London, England)
GenreIndie rock
Length43:16
Label
Producer
Glass Animals chronology
Zaba
(2014)		 How to Be a Human Being
(2016)		 Dreamland
(2020)
Singles from How to Be a Human Being
  1. "Life Itself"
    Released: 18 May 2016[1]
  2. "Youth"
    Released: 27 July 2016[2]
  3. "Season 2 Episode 3"
    Released: 23 August 2016[3]
  4. "Pork Soda"
    Released: 21 January 2017
  5. "Agnes"
    Released: 9 June 2017
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]

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 Leads 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 11 songs based on 11 different characters, many of which were inspired by people they met and stories they were told during their travels while promoting Zaba. Each character was portrayed on the album cover, and some appeared in music videos for their respective songs. Among the actors portraying the characters were Brock Brenner, Dorian Hampton, Camila Ivera, Pat Janssen and Heidi Kaufman.

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.[21][22]

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]"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

Notes

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

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)[23] 11
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] 68
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25] 151
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[26] 50
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[27] 77
French Albums (SNEP)[28] 120
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[29] 2
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] 87
UK Albums (OCC)[31] 23
US Billboard 200[32] 20
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[33] 2

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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. "HITS Daily Double". Archived from the original on 2 September 2016.
  22. "HITS Daily Double". Archived from the original on 2 September 2016.
  23. "Australiancharts.com – Glass Animals – How to Be a Human Being". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  24. "Ultratop.be – Glass Animals – How to Be a Human Being" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  25. "Ultratop.be – Glass Animals – How to Be a Human Being" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  26. "Glass Animals Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  27. "Dutchcharts.nl – Glass Animals – How to Be a Human Being" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  28. "Lescharts.com – Glass Animals – How to Be a Human Being". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  29. "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  30. "Swisscharts.com – Glass Animals – How to Be a Human Being". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  31. "Glass Animals | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  32. "Glass Animals Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  33. "Glass Animals Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  34. "British album certifications – Glass Animals – How to Be a Human Being". British Phonographic Industry.
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