The second track taken from The Oxford band’s fourth album, What Went Down, Mountain At My Gates is a sure festival anthem for their next circuit in 2016, but there’s a feeling that Mountain At My Gates will shortly after become evanescent.
If you compare MAMG to Holy Fire’s second single, the eponymous My Number, then the thought that MAMG will become evanescent is a highly likely occurrence. On its own MAMG is a beautifully produced track, supporting a healthy supply of changing riffs, near solo bass hooks and the anchored drum beat to carry MAMG through its four minute journey.
However, with the ‘punk’-styled What Went Down, quite literally screaming its way into the atmosphere of music fans everywhere, MAMG has one major issue that so many tracks struggle with. It’s not memorable.
When the final breakdown at around 3:20 comes in, you’re rewarded with an awe-inspiring finale, seasoned to perfection with every element that Foals are known for. Before that however, it’s a pure love for Foals that will keep you listening. Any new listeners of Foals would most likely skip the track and run straight to My Number, which has an instantly recognisable opening which MAMG just doesn’t.
What Went Down is out August 28th.
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