An open letter to Foals re Holy Fire

Dear Foals,
What are you doing? You used to have so much potential. When Antidotes was released in 2008, you were regarded as Battles for the pop listener! What a compliment! Your plinky guitar lines, math-rock ambiguity, and blistering energy made you so appealing. You were intelligent yet dangerous. You were a band who would steal my calculator watch if I weren't looking, and that would be okay.

With Total Life Forever, I watched you get anxious. You lost most of your fire, but it was excusable. Almost every band gets the sophomore blues.

When I couldn't watch a single Youtube video without seeing an ad for Holy Fire, I began to get anxious myself. As one of the few bands who could benefit from exclusivity, why such an ambitious marketing campaign? Then I listened. You cashed in. Where'd your sincerity go? Was the sex appeal of “My Number” enough to trade in the incendiary “Balloons?” Admittedly, “My Number” is a complete dance banger, BUT I DON'T WANT TO DANCE, FOALS. I want to freak out! You went from a decent Battles to a second-rate Maccabees! You misstepped, but fine...I trust you'll regain your senses.
Love,
Innovative Indie Rock

Album: Holy Fire
Artist: Foals
Label: Transgressive
Songs: (1) Prelude (2) Inhaler (3) My Number (4) Bad Habit (5) Everytime (6) Late Night (7) Out of the Woods (8) Milk & Black Spiders (9) Providence (10) Stepson (11) Moon