The up-and-coming British indie rock band, Foals, has been steadily rising in popularity since the release of their critically acclaimed debut, “Antidotes,” in 2008. In particular, critics praised the fleeting drums and fast-paced guitars.

After a period of experimenting, Foals achieved numerous chart successes with their last two records, “Holy Fire” and “Total Life Forever.” Earlier this year, frontman Yannis Philippakis vowed a much heavier sound when they announced their fourth studio album, titled “What Went Down,” released on August 28 in the U.S. by Warner Bros.

Immediately heavy with the title track, jam packed with harsh distorted guitars and vocals, “What Went Down” starts off with a bang. The track that follows is a personal favorite and the album’s most mainstream radio-friendly song, “Mountain At My Gates,” a more mellowed-down traditional rock tune with jangly guitars and softer vocals. After the first two songs, the louder sound that Foals had promised begins to mellow back down into their usual experimental prog-rock sound. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Possibly the album’s finest of the softer songs would be “Knife in the Ocean,” the album’s closing track, which is more ambient and textured than some of the noisier songs earlier in the album. The lyrics in “What Went Down” are cryptic and emotional, adding a level of mystery to the album’s overall tone, as well as themes of relationships. With lyrics like, “Unstitch the suture, please pause the future; So I can collect my things; The fire is coming, but we’ll outrun it; We’ll never be undone,” the listener can pick up a post-apocalyptic vibe with a hint of optimism.

In this album, Foals have demonstrated to their fans and music lovers alike that they are most certainly able to successfully pull off both traditional rock as well as experimental sounds.

Highlight tracks:

Mountain At My Gates

Albatross

London Thunder

Knife In The Ocean

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