In the Post #145: Foals tease with title track of forthcoming fourth album ‘What Went Down’
Foals have been slowly teasing out news of their new album over the last fortnight, with chatter rife on Facebook and Twitter after a serious of shady photos were uploaded to the social platforms. It’s been 2 and a half years since ‘Holy Fire’, and on Annie Mac’s Radio 1 show on Tuesday, they premiered the brutish title track to their forthcoming album, ‘What Went Down’.
The band formally return on the 28th of August, when Warner Music release the band’s fourth studio album featuring 10 new songs, all recorded in a 19th-century French mill. On listening to ‘What Went Down’, there’s the distinct influence of the album’s producer James Ford, who has previously worked with Arctic Monkeys and HAIM. Their opening is bracing and ferocious, with punching guitar riffs and a striking similarity to Kasabian.
“I buried my heart in a hole in the ground..” begins frontman Yannis Philippakis anxiously. That anxiety doesn’t last long though, as soft howls creep in alongside fiendish drums and a general atmosphere that just screams ‘danger!’ In seconds it’s as if he’s gone from introverted and tepid, to riled and ready to size you up for a back-street brawl.
Sure enough, the growing danger erupts as Philippakis shrieks, “when I see a man, I see a liar!” and his bandmates aggressively shred through the chorus with vigour. According to the accompanying press release, Philippakis himself has said, “I wanted to tap into my inner madman…feel like I was channelling some sort of fevered creature”, and that’s exactly what he’s pulled off here.
As one fan commented online earlier this week, Foals have the perfect ability on each new record to sound as they did on their debut, but also unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. It’s a pinpoint summary of ‘What Went Down’, where the English rockers’ are abrupt and scuzzier but still dabble with flagrant, ambient guitars and a galloping electronic organ that slices through the chaos. This is a 5-minute onslaught where they’re more upfront and unabashed than they’ve ever been before. The message that Foals’ are back is crystal clear; what they must now prove is that they’re more intense and visceral than any of their earlier manifestations. This is the perfect brawling starting point…
8/10
Foals’ fourth album ‘What Went Down’ will be released on Warner Records on the 28th of August. For all past coverage of Foals on TGTF, head this way.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuQQIawCqBA[/youtube]
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