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Oct 07, 2019 By Christopher Roberts Foals

Foals are releasing two albums this year: Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1 came out in March and Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 2 is due out October 18, both via Warner Records. Now they have shared an animated video for Part 2‘s “Into the Surf.” Steve Warne, who has worked with Wes Anderson and Tim Burton, directed the clip. Watch it below.

A press release describes the video like so: “The video explores the story of two people who are irresistibly drawn together, set against a backdrop of Greek scenery - mountainous coastlines and clear blue water - as they seek to reconnect. Fate has other ideas though, and their goal falls agonizingly short at the last moment. The song and video were inspired by frontman Yannis Philippakis’ Greek family background and reflect themes that are prevalent in Greek folk music, such as dying in a foreign land far away from your family.”

Warne had this to say in the press release: “The world of the song is so distinctive it seemed right to try and reflect it fairly closely with a mix of shimmering, expansive visuals with a human intimacy. The visual motifs were linked closely to the lyrics. By mixing traditional stop-motion with live action and digital animation techniques the idea was to aim for something that felt just about tangible but almost out of reach, echoing the themes of the song in a heightened dreamlike way. A little bit of reality with a dose of mystery.”

Read our interview with Foals about Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1. Also read our shorter print magazine article on Foals.

Previously Foals shared Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 2‘s first three singles: “Black Bull” (via a video for the track), “The Runner,” and “Into the Surf” (which was one of our Songs of the Week). They also released a remix album, Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1: Remixes, featuring Metronomy and others. Then they shared a cinematic video for “The Runner” in which frontman Yannis Philippakis fights his doppelganger.

Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1 was nominated for the Mercury Prize (it didn’t win). Previously Foals shared a cinematic video for Part 1‘s first single, “Exits” (which was one of our Songs of the Week), a video for “On the Luna,” and a lyric video for “Sunday” (which was also one of our Songs of the Week). Then once the album was released album track “In Degrees” was #2 on our Songs of the Week list. Then the band shared videos for Part 1‘s “White Onions,” “Cafe D’Athens,” “In Degrees,” and “Sunday.”

The albums are the follow-up to 2015’s What Went Down. Philippakis produced the albums, which were recorded at 123 Studios in Peckham, London with the help of engineer Brett Shaw. The band also features Jimmy Smith (guitar), Jack Bevan (drums), and Edwin Congreave (keys).

In a previous press release Philippakis had this to say about releasing two albums: “They’re two halves of the same locket. They can be listened to and appreciated individually, but fundamentally, they are companion pieces.”

Philippakis said that the albums do address the environmental crisis our planet faces. “There’s a definite idea about the world being no longer habitable in the way that it was,” he said. “A kind of perilousness lack of predictability and a feeling of being overwhelmed by the magnitudes of the problems we face. What’s the response? And what’s the purpose of any response that one individual can have?”

Philippakis added: “Lyrically, there are resonances with what’s going on in the world at the moment. I just feel like, what’s the utility of being a musician these days, if you can’t engage with at least some of this stuff? These songs are white flags, or they’re SOSs, or they’re cries for help… each in a different way.”

Read our 2015 interview with Foals about What Went Down.

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