Foals
Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1

With self-production, it's either make it or break it. At least that's what they say.

In the case of Foals, they certainly made it: eagerly awaited by critics and the public alike, with their fifth album, everyone expected the definitive takeoff of a band that has all the right ingredients to be that blessed link between indie and mainstream that many have longed for. And professionals in the industry must be thrilled, as they have been searching for years for someone to join Arctic Monkeys at the top.

With the help of Brett Shaw (Florence + The Machine's latest among others in his résumé), Yannis Philippakis and company (notably missing their bassist Walter Gervers, who amicably left the band in January 2018) opted for a very ambitious project called “Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost”: the first part is out now (comprising ten tracks), with the second part coming in autumn.

And ambition, for once, goes hand in hand with quality: “Everything… Part 1” is exactly the record one would expect from Foals. An album that harmoniously combines the past, present, and future, touching on territories already explored in the past by the British band (the airy “Moonlight” recalls the marvelous “Total Life Forever”, the aggressive “White Onions” combines the math beginnings of “Antidotes” with the rock of “What Went Down” with a dash of Bloc Party's “Silent Alarm” era, the first single “Exits” merges everything together by balancing the ingredients excellently) but with a keen eye on what will come next.

This album certainly plays it safe, but it doesn't shy away from experimentation: if “On The Luna” (straightforward indie rock dominated by triumphant rhythm changes) and “Sunday” (which starts like a piece by Embrace only to explode suddenly into an interlude that seems taken straight from the rowdiest Underworld) sound familiar yet fresh (not surprisingly, both were released as singles), “Café D’Athens” surprises with marimba and solo Thom Yorke vibes, “Surf Pt. 1” is a brief atmospheric instrumental interlude, while “I'm Done With The World (& It's Done With Me)” closes with a dark piano and voice piece.

A great record, this “Everything…”: a fully won bet for Warner (which has grasped the British band, no longer a gamble) and a great rubbing of hands for the press, who were eagerly searching for the new Arctic Monkeys.

The final word goes to the public, but everything seems to point towards a (deserved) triumph.

Best track: Café D’Athens