If the post-pandemic party years need a soundtrack, I think I’ve found it.
Like temperatures over ten degrees in the U.K., London based indie-rock band Foals’ latest album, Life Is Yours, couldn’t have come at a better time. After a few years of uncertainty, and plenty of records using this time as a creative springboard, the album is a breath of fresh air.
The titular track ‘Life Is Yours’ is an incredibly energetic opening, a perfect companion for previous single ‘Wake Me Up’ – a track laced with satisfying hooks, glimmers of their typical grungey rock sound and Yannis Philippakis’ vocals are as rich and commanding as ever.
From the silky-synth driven track ‘2am’ to the free-flowing electric riffs of ‘2001’, each track is touched by polished production and well-crafted melodies, with rich vocals and a mingling of the band’s indie sound with dramatically different but definitely welcome pop sensibilities.
‘Looking High’ is the band at their best, a twinkling upbeat track destined to go down a storm amongst the live crowds and proof that the band might be two men down (following the departures of keyboardist Edwin Congreve and bassist Walter Gervers) but the spring in their step and the infectious groove laced in even their darkest tracks remains.
Brushing off the heaviness of the years gone by, which seemed to encompass their 2019 grungey-rock two-parter Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost, Life Is Yours is an indie-rock record, dashed with forays into other genres – from the 90s club feel of The Sound to the moody-post punk vibes of Under The Radar. Philippakis’ soaring vocals bleed with longing, urgency and optimism — it is a musical love letter to the times we missed during lockdown and are taking full advantage of now.
Album closer ‘Wild Green’ stands apart from the previous tracks, with a glorious disco beat underpinning the song. It keeps Foals’ moody indie feel in tact whilst also proving the band aren’t just dipping their toes into a different genre and different sound but running full force.
Life Is Yours might’ve been conjured up during lockdown but there’s something undeniably euphoric about it. The band are several years into their career and a departure from their usual sound at this stage is risky but, thankfully, the risk more than pays off.
