Glass Animals release ‘Quarantine Covers,’ create open-source website for free music sharing

April 20, 2020

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After abruptly cutting short their comeback tour when the pandemic began, British psychedelic indie-pop band Glass Animals to hurry home to find themselves isolated in different places with bare-bones equipment. However, their circumstance across the pond hasn’t stopped them from creating, and lead singer Dave Bayley has made the most of the instruments remaining to share art with fans.

Dubbed Quarantine Covers, these stripped-down, authentically beautiful songs capture the best of Bayley’s voice and range. There are currently three tracks out; “Heart-Shaped Box” by Nirvana, “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Rey, and “Lean on Me” from Bill Withers. All were premiered first on their YouTube channel, live from Bayley’s peaceful home studio, and he’s encouraged fans to send him requests for songs with clear intent to keep recording more. “Heart-Shaped Box” and “Young and Beautiful” have also been released on streaming services.

In addition to new music, Glass Animals has also created an open-source website where fans can download audio stems, pictures, and original artwork to tinker with. They promise to continue uploading content from their expansive reserves, giving fans endless ways to explore and share directly with band members.

“We love how creative you are so we decided to make everything available for you to mess with / edit / create. Have a look around & share your creations with us,” the band writes on the website.

It’s a rare move for a popular band to provide so much for free, especially when they are so often bogged down by legal and business departments at corporate record labels. For one, the move reflects Glass Animals’ deep dedication to their fanbase and to staying connected. It also goes to show how beneficial switching from a giant like Universal to an indie imprint in Wolf Tone (run by Cage The Elephant’s Paul Epworth) can be toward building bridges rather than driving barriers.