Oxford’s Foals is a band worthy of their Internet hype. Their new album, Antidotes, features dance-driven post-punk that flirts with math-rock breakdowns and segues. The weight of the band relies on the chemistry between the heavy percussion and a pair of dueling guitars that trade off sharp, high-noted riffs.



Naturally, the catchiest moments on the album are propelled by this instrumental momentum. The aggressively-paced tempo of “Cassius” realizes the band’s penchant for intensity, yet there’s something exuberant about the song’s delivery. Maybe it’s the staccato rhythm in frontman Yannis Philippakis’s vocals (actually his name) or just facetious grandiloquence of the horn section, but the end result is a song that’s belligerently danceable. We find the same formula applied even more successfully on the album’s first single “Balloons.”



Still, Foals shines brightest when the cadence drops. While the faster pop tracks feature infectiously catchy hooks and guitar lines, the slower, theatrical buildups of tracks like “Olympic Airwaves” and “Two Step Twice” give Antidotes its epic bravado.



Antidotes is a confident yet playful debut, affirming Foals as one of the year’s best new acts. Only time will tell if they’re a pony with more than one trick.



Foals will be playing at Neumos in Seattle on May 30.



Kevin Nguyen is the business manager at KUPS 90.1 FM The Sound.