British quintet Foals' Total Life Forever signals a coming-of-age. Two years since their surprise debut Antidotes, their sound has evolved into a more refined chaos that listeners will find soothing.
According to frontman Yannis Philippakis, this second album is more honest because it regresses into a more naive state.
In the months leading up to this album launch, Foals released free online content for fans to sample. It was part of their marketing strategy to give fans a multimedia experience that goes beyond just music.
On this new album, the song This Orient has echoing vocals and ambiguous lyrics that give an edgy, contemporary feel. Fugue provides a brief interlude of grimy beats, for a nice downtime.
After their first album debuted at No 3 on British charts, expectations were high for their second release. Foals boldly took a new direction in Total Life Forever and should be commended for it.
They have created a highly polished sound that will cement their status as leaders in the fusion of indie rock and alternative beats.
