Latest Release
- MAY 19, 2023
- 10 Songs
- What Went Down · 2015
- Holy Fire · 2012
- Collected Reworks · 2013
- Life Is Yours · 2022
- Total Life Forever · 2010
- Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part II · 2019
- Wake Me Up - Single · 2021
- What Went Down · 2015
- Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part I · 2019
- Hypercolour - Single · 2020
Essential Albums
- This Oxford quintet continues to find new audio terrain on their second album, 2010’s Total Life Forever. Foals’ view of techno isn’t some manic, hedonistic pump but a measured, textured crawl through the fixations of the night where one’s anxieties are relieved or expressed in the tense dynamics of music that fights against the machine for its humanity. “Blue Blood” is a gorgeous opener that suggests a party still in preparation. The synth flourishes break out the excitement while Andrew Mears sings with a longing in his voice. “Miami” allows drummer Jack Bevan the chance to add his solid muscle to the groove, turning this electronic outfit into a purebred rock band with a fascination with gadgets. The title track kicks back with a quick twist that resembles Paul McCartney’s “Coming Up” merged with the ghostly voices of New Order and OMD. “Spanish Sahara” is the masterwork here, a brewing seven-minute piece where the waves of keyboards grow in ferocity until the vocals can only barely reach the surface. Electronic music fans should find much to uncover here.
Albums
Artist Playlists
- This Oxford alt-rockers trade in deep grooves with bite.
- Lean back and relax with some of their mellowest cuts.
- 2022
- Yannis joins Matt to talk about the band's LP, Life Is Yours.
- Foals on “Crest of the Wave," plus Dan + Shay join live.
- Matt and guests talk about their essential winter songs.
- The Chicago MC is Added, Nardeydey is Breaking.
More To See
About Foals
Foals make expansive indie rock built on dense arrangements of danceable rhythms and punchy guitars. Formed in Oxford, England in the mid-2000s, the band emerged in the wake of the breakup of frontman Yannis Philippakis and percussionist Jack Bevan’s math-rock group, The Edmund Fitzgerald. Early singles, like 2007’s “Mathletics,” have a notably dance-punk bent—a reaction to the more serious sounds heard in Oxford during that era. Early attention led the band to record their debut LP, 2008’s high-energy Antidotes, with TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek. Their follow-up, 2010’s Total Life Forever, took inspiration from futurist Ray Kurzweil’s theories and had a far mellower vibe, as illustrated by the lush atmospheres of “Spanish Sahara.” Since then, they’ve dabbled in heavier alt-rock (2015’s What Went Down), made a sprawling two-part record (2019’s Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost), and even crafted a dub version of one of their albums (2023’s Life Is Dub), retaining a spirit of boundary-pushing experimentation under the indie-rock umbrella.
- ORIGIN
- Oxford, England
- FORMED
- 2005
- GENRE
- Alternative