Foals – ‘Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost: Part 2’ review: a disappointing sequel

A common issue with double albums is that there is always some excess fat. The Clash’s ‘London Calling’ and The Beatles ‘White Album’ could do with losing a few pounds – and it’s no different for Foals.

Long-time bassist Walter Gervers’ sudden departure from the group in 2016 prompted Foals to change their approach to writing music, singer Yannis Phillippakis told NME. “Musically, in some ways it was a catalyst for us to mix things up more”.

The product of this change is the ‘Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost’ project. However, it seems that the Oxford quartet may have flown to close to the sun on ‘Part 2’, as the band over promised and under delivered with an album of half-baked ideas and uninspired song writing.

The album fades in as Foals wade through “a world upside down” with the ominous ‘Red Dessert’. The synth based amuse-bouche quickly makes way for ‘The Runner’, the albums undisputed golden child. The raucous guitar riff rumbles through the track as Phillippakis proclaims “when I fall, I know to keep on running”. A brilliantly written rock song, ‘The Runner’ highlights everything that made Foals great in the first place – intensity and ferocity.

There is little let up in the first half, as ‘Wash Off’s infectious euro pop drumbeat rattles through the track at a quick yet comfortable pace. Jimmy Smith’s guitar work here harks back to their math rock roots, inspired by the likes of Battles and Don bloody Caballero before headlining Reading Festival was even a thought. Phillippakis’ crooning vocals proclaiming “just wash it off” seem to be hauntingly relevant in the context of 2020.

Sadly, most positive aspects of the record cease to exist past this point. ‘Black Bull’ is an obnoxious, unnecessarily noisy track that had potential to have the power of a Slayer song, but it doesn’t have the balls.

Nevertheless, it’s nothing in comparison to the sickly sweet and utterly cringeworthy ‘Like Lightning’. The stodgy bass line and irritating guitar riff in the verses, paired with the predictable chorus make for a disappointing listening experience. It’s clear that the band have “gotta do something” to avoid making a mistake like this again.

The saving grace of this half is ‘10,000 Feet’, a truly brilliant track that incorporates contrasting melodies, Jack Bevan’s booming drums and a convincing vocal performance from Phillippakis. With dreamy verses and violent choruses, the band find a perfect balance between good and evil – a theme they have constantly addressed throughout the project. “I want the band to be one body working in harmony”, said Phillippakis.

The albums final track ‘Neptune’ was hyped up to be a kaleidoscopic musical rollercoaster but unfortunately, it falls spectacularly flat. The track feels eerily empty, despite clocking in at nearly 10 minutes. This marathon of a song is nothing more than an endurance test filled with uncreative riffs and sleep-inducing guitar solos. The track’s climax is a disappointing pay off, leaving us wondering what happened to the Foals of the past.

Overly ambitious, cluttered, but at times brilliant, Foals effort to create an exciting two-part album has to be commended but with so many missing parts and skippable tracks, ‘Part 2’ just seems unnecessary.