8/10

Throughout the last fifteen years of their career, Foals have shown themselves as a brilliantly original and adventurous outfit. While starting out in a fresh math-rock-inspired guise, they began to move further through a more atmospheric lens, earning them a reputation for broad and inventive compositions that stood out amongst their contemporaries. But with bassist Walter Gervers departing in 2018 and keyboardist Edwin Congreave following suit in 2021, the now three-piece are looking to reinvent themselves for their seventh studio album 'Life Is Yours', a record that spells an enormous rebirth for the band.

From the very start, 'Life Is Yours' sees itself as one of their most commercially-leaning releases to date. While they have often dropped the odd radio-friendly ditty on their LPs in the past, they have never aimed to create a bold and pop-focused release like this before. And while the cynical crowd may put this down to "selling out", they actually have a strong and explorative hold on this new direction. They have clearly been yearning to do something like this for a while, and it feels like they are finally breaking free in order to try something new and interesting.

It may be lacking the vivid soundscapes they have produced over the years, but regardless, 'Life Is Yours' makes for a wonderfully enjoyable listen. If this is meant to spell the beginning of a new chapter within their tenure so far, then they are off to a terrific start and we can't wait to hear where they take this next.