Album review – Foxes! by Foxes!

Foxes!

Indie’s history is littered with bands whose members have stronger relationships than just being in the same group – Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon, Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert, Tim Gane and Laetitia Sadier… The latest band to join the queue in this auspicious list is Foxes!, headed up by Kayla and Adam Bell, whose eponymous debut album is out on Brighton based label Big Salad Records next Monday (16th January). The album has been a long time coming – the sleeve notes say it was recorded in 2008 / 2009. Before they found a home with Big Salad, they put out the ace Panda Bear Song last year on legendary indie label Elefant Records.

Foxes! rattle through the dozen tracks on their album in barely more than half an hour – about the right about of time to not overstay it’s welcome and to leave you wanting more. After a short intro track, the album kicks off properly with the Panda Bear Song, which hopefully you’ve already clicked through to, a song about wildlife conservation. The stompers keep on coming, taking in such subjects as spending too long in cafés, days when you feel like you can’t do anything right and girl crushes. Even the possibilities of what happens after death get a look in. But despite the tone of some of the lyrics, it’s not a dark album at all; Foxes! is full to the brim of chirpy indie-pop songs. Oh Rosie tackles the tricky subject of advising the elderly to try internet shopping – not bad in three and a half minutes:

If you’re a fan of choppy guitars, lo fi keyboards and catchy lyrics, then this will be right up your street.

If you like what you hear, but you missed their show at the Green Door Store just before Christmas, you can go and see them in London on Tuesday at The Buffalo bar in Highbury. If not, I’m sure they’ll be playing back in Brighton again soon. In the meantime, you can follow them on Facebook here.