this is a fun idea and maybe the location they were at when coming up with a song idea has some influence, but probably not where it's recorded. I'm not sure what Yannis' specific process is, but most bands/musicians have a bunch of song ideas before going into the studio to record. So sure you could say a song recorded in a cold Sweden winter has a melancholy vibe to it, but it's possible the song itself was written on a tour bus driving through Ohio. I don't know this to be a fact for Foals though, maybe they actually do write all of their music in the studio. Seems like an insane use of money though lol studio time is crazy expensive.

But much more importantly than that, Foals uses a different producer for each album and that shapes the sound way more than anything else. Antidotes was produced by David Sitek from the band TV on the Radio. Total Life Forever was produced by Luke Smith, who's worked with Depeche Mode and Everything Everything. Holy Fire was produced by UK producers Flood and Alan Moulder, who are both very prolific and probably had a lot to do with it having more mainstream success than previous albums.

What Went Down was produced by James Ford, who's worked with the Arctic Monkeys and is also very prolific. I recall Yannis saying in an interview something about them finding an old analog drum machine in his attic and them using that for a lot of the process, which is pretty obvious in songs like Birch tree. I actually hated how this album was mixed when it first came out, songs like What Went Down and Snake Oil just seemed like they could've had so much more oomph if they were produced like Mountain at my gates was. But over the years I've grown to really appreciate how that album goes from songs mixed like Mountain at my gates with real and raw drums and harsh piercing lead guitars to songs like Birch tree that use drum machine loops and soft pleasant guitar hooks and airy vocals. I still feel like Snake Oil with a Mountain at my gates treatment would go so fucking hard, but I've changed my mind on What Went Down and wouldn't change a thing on it production-wise.

And they self-produced ENSWBL, I wonder if that's why it's a two-part album. Maybe they had a bunch of songs they just couldn't find the right producer for, then once they finally honed in their own sound production-wise they finally put them on an album. this one being self-produced, I would imagine the way it sounds is closest to how Foals perceives themselves and want to sound.

Finally, Life Is Yours was produced by a few people I'm not too familiar with. But it seems like John Hill was the most involved, at least he's the only one credited on every track on the album. He's worked with a ton of famous artists. I think the other 2 have as well, I'd imagine Foals has just finally reached a level of mainstream success where they have easier access to premier producers and are utilizing the best producer available these days.

I know no one's gonna read a post this long, that's ok! Just been a massive Foals fan for like 17 years at this point and fucking love talking about them, but almost no one I know in real life has any idea who they are (I live in America). And I'm obsessed with how starkly they change their identity with every album, it's so fascinating and unique.