Foals – Holy Fire
Released 11th February 2013, Transgressive Records
In at number 10 in The Edge’s Top 10 Album’s of 2013 list is Foals’ third studio album, Holy Fire. The Mercury Nominated record reached number 2 in the UK album’s chart and was highly critically acclaimed.
Statistics:
- Included in top-ten lists of 17% of contributors
- Of those, 80% ranked in within their top 5
- Ranked album of the year by one contributor
Holy Fire was one of my favourite releases of 2013. It was a welcome return since their second album ‘Total Life Forever’, although it was totally different to what I was expecting. Foals had again added to the substance of their music – first single ‘Inhaler’ was an intense and dramatic welcome back. Most of the album fits into this continued maturing of Foals, however there are still glimpses of the band that brought us ‘Cassius’, like in ‘My Number’ and ‘Milk & Black Spiders’. Foals have managed to continue changing their sound, without losing their appeal.
– Jamie Barker, Edge Writer
Holy Fire was always going to be a hotly anticipated album from the Oxford lads that dabbled with exquisite math rock and have grown exponentially since. This, their third album, was a significantly darker affair but one that was beautifully crafted and astonishingly expansive. Despite this cold mindset, the album still contains some of the most catchy, hook-laden singles of the year in ‘Inhaler’ and ‘My Number’, which mark the range and versatility of Yannis et al. This was Foals taking a shot at reaching those stadium arenas and getting it right on target.
– David Martin, Editor 2012-2013, ranked the album #4
Other accolades:
- Ranked #4 in NME’s ‘50 Best Albums Of 2013’ list
- Ranked #9 in Quietus’ ‘Albums Of The Year 2013’ list
- Ranked #12 on The Fly’s ‘Top 50 Albums of 2013’ list
- Ranked #15 in Q’s ‘Album’s Of The Year’ list
