Holy moly, Foals.
The 2014 Splendour headliners have just dropped a brand new track and, well, shit. Premiered on Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show, the UK band haven’t just raised the bar, they’ve obliterated it.
I’m not sure if words can really do this one justice, so I’m going to sit here and wait patiently for four minutes while you listen to it. Hell, I’m probably listening to it again right now:
We like it. A lot.
Mountain At My Gates is the second new track in as many months, and follows on from the blisteringly powerful What Went Down. Less heavy but no less powerful, it’s already showing signs of serious diversity and depth throughout their new album.
The singles will be featured on their upcoming album, also titled What Went Down. Reportedly (and awesomely) inspired by “130 bottles of red wine,” the ten track album is set to drop on August 28. It is the first new music we’ve heard since 2013’s blazing Holy Fire.
Frontman Yannis Philippakis has said of the new album, “I wanted to tap into my inner madman and feel like I was channeling some sort of fevered creature.” Here I was thinking that Foals sounded pretty mad all along, so to say I’m excited about hearing the new record is a serious understatement.
Interestingly, the two singles are the respective first and second tracks off the album. It’s as though the band are telling a story, and they’re sharing the journey one chapter at a time. Judging by the intensity and sheer power that we can hear in both singles, it’s looking to be one goddamn riveting story.
If you want a little more while waiting impatiently for August 28, check out the tantalising album trailer here:
Pre-order What Went Down here.
Track listing:
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