You might have heard the song Heat Waves, by Glass Animals, or maybe you haven’t. It was a UK hit, but not ubiquitous, not the kind of song you would necessarily expect to break international records. It was first released in June 2020. Last October, it peaked at number five. Glass Animals were on their way to becoming an indie-pop staple. In 2017, they were nominated for the Mercury prize, for their second album. But in the US, they have become a pop staple and there is no more indie about it.
It took 59 weeks for Heat Waves to make the journey from its arrival at number 100 in the Billboard charts to its spot at the very top and now, after more than a year, Glass Animals have a number one hit in America.
