Foals on DeBaser: reviews, quotes and essential works

The Profile

Foals are a British indie rock band formed in Oxford in 2005 and led by Yannis Philippakis. Their debut Antidotes (2008) reached No. 3 in the UK. Subsequent albums include Total Life Forever (2010), Holy Fire (2013), What Went Down (2015), and the two-part Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost (2019), with Part 1 shortlisted for the 2019 Mercury Prize.

Frontman: Yannis Philippakis. Debut album Antidotes peaked at UK No. 3. What Went Down was produced by James Ford. Bassist Walter Gervers departed in 2018. Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1 was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize (2019).

Reviews trace Foals’ path from the mathy, kinetic Antidotes to the atmospheric Total Life Forever and the pop-savvy Holy Fire. What Went Down is framed as their cohesive, confident leap, with James Ford’s production praised. The two-part Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost project is highlighted for ambition: Part 1 eclectic and forward-looking, Part 2 heavier and riff-driven. Overall sentiment is strongly positive.

Notable Quotes

❝ Truly a convincing debut.

❝ The leap to the forefront of the British music scene has been made, and maturity for the Foals seems achieved, opening intriguing scenarios for the future.

❝ What Went Down is an excellent modern rock album, played as it should be and arranged excellently.

❝ And ambition, for once, goes hand in hand with quality:

❝ “Total Life Forever” is a good album that requires multiple listens, it needs to be tamed by our ears as if it were a wild thoroughbred out of our control.