Hear It Now: Foals Brings a Bite in “What Went Down”

Photo Courtesy of Foals's Facebook Page — Photo Courtesy of Foals’s Facebook Page

Indie rock group Foals has an interesting mixture of talent. Their original frontman, Andrew Mears, created the band at the same time as Youthmovies, a rock band he was a part of. Mears left Foals early on and was replaced by Yannis Philippakis who had previously worked with Foals drummer Jack Bevan in the math rock band The Edmund Fitzgerald. Guitarist Jimmy Smith and bassist Walter Gervers, previous members of Face Meets Grill, provide instrumentals for the group. What does this combination of talents mean? These varied backgrounds are what gives Foals their distinctive sound.

While obtaining mainstream success in the UK, the band has had troubles making similar success outside of Britain. Their most recent album, Holy Fire, made some improvements in gaining a large audience worldwide. Holy Fire reached #1 on the charts in Australia and appeared on most other top market charts. The band’s music has been featured on the acclaimed British television show Skins, the movie Runner, Runner and the video game EA Sports FIFA 14. Their next album, What Went Down, looks to create the biggest splash. Their newest single “What Went Down” proves that.

The track is much more aggressive in comparison to the subdued sound of their previous tracks like “Inhaler” and “Spanish Sahara.” The song also steps away from the funk and dance beats Foals uses, in such songs as “My Number” and “Hummer.” In the place of bouncing snare or relaxing ambience, Foals adds crashing cymbals and heavy guitar. The song plays much louder and tougher than anything they have done before.

In an interview with NME, Philippakis speaks to this idea. He says, “It’s one of the most savage and animalistic songs we’ve ever done….it just feels predatory, it feels like we’re on a hunt or something.” This predatory feeling correlates to the repeated line “when I see a man, I see a lion.” The track has a bite that gets amplified in the way Philippakis sings. Rather than a mellow or fun voice that fans are accustomed to, he screams and delivers the lines with an edge.

The structure of the song mimics a predator on the hunt. The dynamics of the song move up and down until around three and a half minutes in, where the song drops down low and slowly builds to a very strong climax. This reflects an animal on the prowl, staying very quiet until finally striking.

The characteristics of their previous efforts are not completely absent, and that is what gives the track its impressive punch. Early in the song, Bevan sets in a dance beat between the heavy crashes. During the breakdown, the music gets very calm and rhythmic, like many tracks from Holy Fire. With these qualities, the crashes and intense finish to the song have so much more force to them. Foals only seems to improve with every album, so their upcoming What Went Down looks to be their best yet.