‘Holy Fire’? More like Holy Fuck, Foals have done it again. The indie-rock band deliver their third album with a generous variation of chill-out songs such as “Moon” and “My Number”, an infectious dance tune that will prove nearly impossible to shake off. “Late Night” comes across as a sensually sinister single with a sense of rage shining through the piercing vocals that lead the slowly ascending rhythm.
The past few years have seen Foals gain a vast amount of recognition and certainly more radio airplay. To top it off the band have taken up a main stage slot at this year’s Reading Festival, unsurprising really when you take in the intense sound that can only be perfected by turning up the volume on a warm Summer’s day. This album, albeit worthy of it’s number one position on iTunes, is not necessarily a breakthrough. ‘Holy Fire’ shows a similar summery mood to previous album ‘Total Life Forever’ although the new tracks showcase a slightly darker tone with less of the soft sound of the synths and more focus on bass and percussion.
Nevertheless there is little room for criticism as ‘Holy Fire’ showcases a fine working of Yannis Philippakis’ unique vocals and the equally innovative melodies. The eerie instrumental launch of “Prelude” almost tricks us into thinking we are listening to The Cure. However we are soon greeted with the wails of Philippakis rather than those of Robert Smith and there is no mistaking this smooth introduction to one of Foals’ darkest albums yet.
SAMANTHA MAE 