UK math rock superheros Foals are just about one of my favourite bands ever, which isn’t a term I throw around easily. So when they announced last week that their fourth studio album is on it’s way, it was hard to contain my elation.
Titled What Went Down, the 10 track LP will drop August 28, and from the looks of things, could well be their best yet. Recorded in a rural 19th century mill in the South of France with James Ford, who’s resume includes works with Arctic Monkeys and Florence + The Machine, the end results are said to be extreme and intense.
Frontman Yannis Philippakis, no stranger to harrowing songs that give you chills down your spine and make you want to burst into tears (or is that just me?), said of his lyricism for the new album that, “I wanted to tap into my inner madman and feel like I was channeling some sort of fevered creature.” If you’re a Foals fan, you are probably a little apprehensive as to just how much Philippakis is tapping into his inner madman, as his previous works would indicate that madman doesn’t require much tapping into at all. I find myself asking what sort of heathen has been unleashed here…
Working with themes such as cultural identity, generational anxiety, cynicism, pessimism and heartbreak, the accompanying press release itself said of What Went Down that “the record touches upon the depths of madness whilst also exhibiting some of the most beautiful pop songs the band have ever written.”
You can pour over the album’s teaser trailer below, but kiss goodbye any sort of patient waiting after watching it. It’s only made me angry that August is so far away:
What Went Down tracklisting:
What Went Down
Mountain At My Gates
Birch Tree
Give It All
Albatross
Snake Oil
Night Swimmers
London Thunder
Lonely Hunter
A Knife In The Ocean