If you happen to recall the indie explosion that came and went during the mid-noughties, you're most likely to recall how UK math-rockers Foals were perched right on the forefront alongside the now-nowhere-to-be-found groups like Kasabian, Hard-Fi and Maxïmo Park. Although not the first band to come up with it, they're largely responsible for spreading the gospel of that intricate, tightly-wound guitar work that's gone on to more or less define the genre. Over time, the Foals' signature hectic romp that was the backbone of their 2008 landmark debut, Antidotes, has transformed into something a little more polished and more mature. Subtle sonic shifts can already be detected on their second LP, Total Life Forever (how much of a revelation is Spanish Sahara?), and even more so on the subsequent records, the unabashedly potent Holy Fire and What Went Down.
At this point, anything that follows has the potential to be nothing less than monumental -- and on that front Foals indeed deliver with the first part of their two-part project, Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost. The group, now a quartet after the departure of bassist Walter Gervers, begins their new chapter with Exits, a groove-laden lead cut that addresses climate change ("Now the sea eats the sky … Oh, the weather's against us") and envisions the future of humanity hiding out, subsisting underground ("Houses underground/ The flowers upside down").
The political stuff doesn't stop there. On The Luna finds Yannis Philippakis singing about how he can't stop watching Trump even when he's "clogging up [his] computer". The ballad Sunday is an ode to the final hours before the apocalypse ("Time has come and time is gone/ Cities burn, we got youth to spend") laced with a biting commentary on the damage done by the Baby Boomers ("Our fathers run… Left us with the blind leading the blind").
Sonically, there's everything for everyone. Those still reeling from What Went Down can get their fix of gnarly guitar riffs on tracks like White Onions. Feeling a bit nostalgic for Spanish Sahara? I'm Done With The World (& It's Done With Me) is perhaps the next best thing. Curious to hear how all of Foals' records, past and present, get distilled into one epic song? In Degrees is not just an indie anthem, but a celebration of guitar music packed full of yelps, chants and shouty hooks.
Quotable lyrics: "Trump clogging up my computer/ But I'm watching all day, all day" (On The Luna).
The Verdict: Indie rock may have seen better days, but guitar music is here to stay. Listen to this: Exits, On The Luna, Sunday, In Degrees.
THE PLAYLIST
Vampire Weekend (featuring Steve Lacy) / Sunflower
Ezra Koenig and his clan are making good on their promise of releasing a pair of new tracks every month until their fourth record, Father Of The Bride, drops in May. Preceded by Harmony Hall and 2021, the second batch includes the funk-psychedelic Sunflower, which is a collaboration with the internet guitarist Steve Lacy. "Sunflower in the morning/ Standing in the garden/ All before you wake," Koenig coos on top of Lacy's spidery guitar work. "No power can compel you/ Out into the daylight/ Let that evil wait." Not long after, the syncopated rhythms get intertwined with rapid-fire scatting, exuding as well as expanding on the offbeat, tongue-in-cheek 70s vibe that have been the band's go-to since they first burst onto the scene. Weird and wonderful, and exactly right up our alley.
Local Natives / When Am I Gonna Lose You
Have you ever been in a relationship so incredibly wholesome that you can't help but feel like you're going to stuff it up somehow? This precise anxiety is exactly what Local Natives are expressing on When Am I Gonna Lose You?, the lead cut off their fourth studio album, Violet Street. "Wait, when am I gonna lose you?/ How will I let you slip through?" frontman Taylor Rice slurs and swallows his words as if he was afraid that saying them out loud would make it all come true. If this sounds a little like a downer, let it be known that it is. Thankfully, though, this is offset by the surging synth-pop production -- perhaps the most upbeat the group has ever done, too.
Colourless Dentist / Saturated Noise
Apart from a short bio describing himself as a half-Bangkokian, half-Ubon on Fungjai.com, there's really not much to know about this seemingly mysterious musician who goes by the name of Colourless Dentist. His debut single, Singha Apocalypse, only came out a few months ago and now he's following it up with second cut, Saturated Noise. Stylistically, the track fits into the realm of instrumental psychedelic rock introduced by its predecessor. But while Singha Apocalypse is all guns blazing from the get-go, Saturated Noise takes its time to unfold and envelope you with lush guitar lines. A different beast, but a beast all the same.
Hayden Thorpe / Diviner
Although UK artsy indie outfit Wild Beasts have officially called it quits, its frontman Hayden Thorpe has soldiered on with a solo career and the release of his new track, Diviner. Reportedly written on his birthday ("rare days of alignment" as he's put it), the song marks a new artistic chapter for Thorpe as he lends his uniquely theatrical vocals to the clambering piano backdrop. "My ghost had left my skin/ Diviner, bring it in," he declares in the chorus. "Ice and mirrors always shimmering/ Diviner, where you been/ You've been gone a long time." Currently in the works, his solo debut is expected to drop later this year.
Nick Murphy / Sanity
After rebranding himself as, well, himself, the artist formerly known as Chet Faker is finally gearing up for the release of Run Fast Sleep Naked, the first full-length output under the Australian singer-songwriter's real name following 2017's Missing Link EP. The album's first taste, Sanity, contains traces of world music -- all jaunty keyboards and light-footed percussions. "My sanity, it comes to question/ But I need to have someone to burn up all my good attention … But could you give it up to change the pace/ Before you crawl into my bed?" he intones alongside the stirring gospel vocal harmonies.
