Foals’ seventh album finds the Oxonians in vibrant spirits. Despite the departure of two members —bassist Walter Gervers and keyboardist Edwin Congreave—the now three piece have delivered a work of glossy swagger, expanding and filling out the indie disco stylings of previous records. The result is a work of incredibly satisfying music led by bass and keys, and one that will form the backdrop to many a summer's eve out.
For that indeed is the stated aim. Yannis Phippakis recently told the NME: “This is our idea of a going-out record.” As the title track judders into view you can almost taste the cans of Red Stripe, smell the smoke machines and feel the sticky floors of East London pulling on your shoes. It’s unbridled hipster joy, somewhere between the urban abandon of LCD Soundsystem and the intellectual effervescence of Everything Everything.
And it doesn’t let up much. 'Life is Yours’ sashays through 11 tracks of groovy dance music without any ballads or notable drops in pace.
There are Balearic beats on the excellent 2001 and 2am, trippy speed racer synths on Under the Radar and Looking High, and chic throwback four-to-the-floor rhythms on Summer Sky. They have succeeded in finding a lot of variation in the core sound.
One of the best turns is the single Wake Me Up which splutters through funk guitars and loopy synths with craft and guile. If this had more unhinged poetry in the lyrics and a litre of hair spray involved, you could easily be listening to Duran Duran.
The risk with taking a disco-beats-only approach with an album is that you run out of steam towards the end, and indeed there is little doubt that ‘Life is Yours’ is pretty front loaded. But it doesn't conk out completely. By the time we round the corner on Crest of the Wave, the record has consciously thinned out, reining in the saucy melodies with something a bit more thoughtful. It rides the wave well, and succeeds on its own terms.
Foals Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Mon June 27 2022 - DUBLIN Fairview Park
Wed June 29 2022 - MANCHESTER Castlefield Bowl
Fri July 08 2022 - LEEDS Millenium Square
Sat January 21 2023 - EDINBURGH Liquid Rooms
Sun January 22 2023 - GLASGOW SWG3
Tue January 24 2023 - LIVERPOOL O2 Academy Liverpool
Thu January 26 2023 - KINGSTON Pryzm
Fri January 27 2023 - SOUTHAMPTON Engine Rooms
Sat January 28 2023 - OXFORD O2 Academy Oxford
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
