From playing chaotic house parties in their home city of Oxford to becoming major festival headliners across Europe, Foals’ trajectory has been remarkable. They’ve earned critical acclaim (NME and Q Award wins, plus Mercury Prize, Ivor Novello and BRITAward nominations) and fan devotion (1.7 million sales of their four Gold-certified albums, plus over half a billion streams at Spotify since 2015) in equal measure. And while the majority of contemporaries have fallen by the wayside, Foals continue to hit new peaks.
After more than a decade in the game, Foals again embrace that love for the unconventional with the bravest and most ambitious project of their career: not one, but two astonishing new albums: ‘Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost’. A pair of releases, separate but related, they share a title, themes and artwork. ‘Part 1’ will be released on March 8th, with ‘Part 2’ following in the autumn.
“They’re two halves of the same locket,” frontman Yannis Philippakis explains. “They can be listened to and appreciated individually, but fundamentally, they are companion pieces.”
Profoundly tethered but possessing their own personalities, the two bodies capture the most compelling, ambitious and cohesive creations that Foals – completed by Jimmy Smith (guitar), Jack Bevan (drums) and Edwin Congreave (keys) – have ever produced.
Eager to break the traditional pop song structure, the 20 tracks defy expectation. There are exploratory, progressive-tinged tracks which occasionally break the 10-minute mark alongside atmospheric segues which make the music an experience rather than a mere collection of songs. Yet the band’s renowned ability to wield relentless grooves with striking power also reaches new heights.
The albums’ lead single ‘Exits’ is a case in point, featuring Philippakis conjuring the image of a disorienting world via a contagious vocal melody. It’s a fresh anthem for Foals’ formidable arsenal, but also an ominous forecast.
“There's a definite idea about the world being no longer habitable in the way that it was,” says Yannis. “A kind of perilousness lack of predictability and a feeling of being overwhelmed by the magnitudes of the problems we face. What's the response? And what’s the purpose of any response that one individual can have?”
‘Exits’ signposts what to expect thematically from ‘Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost’. The title is a warning that anything – from the tiniest fleeting moment of inspiration through to the planet’s own biological diversity – can be under threat of being irrevocably erased.
It’s a theme that permeates throughout the albums’ material, as Foals mirror the public neuroses that have been provoked by our current cultural climate. Paranoia of state surveillance? Fear of environmental collapse? An overwhelming feeling of anxiety? It’s all there in these apocalyptic songs.
It’s particularly evident in the euphoric ‘In Degrees’ which imagines a future where your ability to talk to each other has been reduced to nothing. This approach is perhaps most vividly captured on ‘Syrups’, and the devastating closing pair of songs on ‘Part 1’, ‘Sunday’ and ‘I’m Done With The World (& It’s Done With Me)’.
“Lyrically, there are resonances with what's going on in the world at the moment,” summarises Yannis. “I just feel like, what’s the utility of being a musician these days, if you can’t engage with at least some of this stuff? These songs are white flags, or they’re SOSs, or they’re cries for help… each in a different way.”
The new albums’ journeys began as the ‘What Went Down’ era ended. Founding bassist Walter Gervers departed on amicable terms after playing the Festival Paredes de Coura in Portugal in August 2017. Foals felt that he couldn’t be replaced – a decision that ushered in a period of recalibration, reorganisation and, ultimately, rejuvenation.
After taking a little time out, Foals reconvened with Yannis on production duties, who, together with Edwin, also covered the bass parts. They began by writing in a rehearsal space before exporting those sketches into the recording phase at 123 Studios, Peckham, with the assistance of engineer Brett Shaw. They’d repeat the cycle between the two spaces, effectively creating an ongoing feedback loop as they sought to push every new idea to the finish line.
Fans who pre-order ‘Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1’ from the D2C store here will gain access to a pre-sale for the band’s UK and European tour. All pre-orders will also receive ‘Exits’ as an instant download.
Foals - Forest Live
Friday 14 June: Bedgebury Pinetum, near Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
Thursday 20 June: Thetford Forest, near Brandon, Suffolk.
Tickets £39.50 (plus £4.45 booking fee) go on sale at 9am Friday 1st February from Forestry Commission box office tel 03000 680400 or buy online: www.forestryengland.uk/music
Info:
foals.co.uk
forestryengland.uk/music
Forest Live is a major outdoor live music series held every summer by Forestry Commission England in seven beautiful forests. Over 1.75 million people have attended a forest gig in the last eighteen years. Money raised from ticket sales helps to look after the nation’s forests sustainably, for people to enjoy and wildlife to thrive.
LISTEN TO THE LEAD TRACK ‘EXITS’ HERE AND WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
Please see www.foals.co.uk/tour for their full European and North American dates and ticket details.
Twickets is the official ticket resale partner of the tour. To combat touts, resale is restricted to no more than face value. Buying or selling tickets on any other resale platform is strictly prohibited. Learn more here
Release: Monday 21 January 7.30pm.
Media enquiries: James Delanoy james@delanoy.co.uk / tel 01223 812533
Ends
Note to Editors:
1. The Forestry Commission is the government department responsible in England for protecting, expanding and promoting the sustainable management of woods and forests and increasing their value to society and the environment.
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/forestry-commission.
2. The nations’ forests are cared for by Forest Enterprise England, an agency of the Forestry Commission. www.forestryengland.uk
3. Twenty-four million people currently visit the nation’s forests every year, with 99.6% of England’s population living within 1 hour’s drive of a Forestry Commission wood or forest.
4. Forest Live is an independent programme organised by Forestry Commission England to bring forests to new audiences. Money raised has contributed to a wide range of projects, from wildlife conservation to making improvements for visitors