Foals' previous two records established the Oxford-reared quintet as top-shelf acolytes of twitchy Talking Heads-inspired post-punk. Their just released third album, Holy Fire, flips the script by adding unexpected ballast. Lead single "Inhaler" finds the formerly lean and airy outfit sounding nearly unrecognizable, opting for crunchy and cathartic guitar-rock in place of the danceable treble-heavy trance of their past work. As it turns out, however, "Inhaler" is something of an outlier. While Holy Fire undoubtedly rocks harder than its predecessors, it still wisely leaves plenty of room for the rubbery bass lines and glistening gossamer guitar lines that got the band noticed by the likes of Sub Pop in the first place. With Surfer Blood and Blondfire. 18+.
