Seeing Other People - Foxygen: Review

Foxygen

are a California indie rock duo that blew up in 2013 with their 3rd official release and have since dropped three albums met with reviews ranging from praise for 2017's Hang to ire for 2014's ...And Star Power. After the release of three well received singles Foxygen had the attention of the indie community for the release of Seeing Other People sliding in just before a wave of huge indie releases in May. 

Review By Lavender:

There are very few indie bands this decade that I've handed out praise to like Foxygen. Their first big studio project dropped in 2011 with Take The Kids Off Broadway. It was just under 40 minutes of wild instrumentals blended with theatrical performances and fantastic songwriting for one of the most unique experiences that year had to offer. They followed this up with their breakout project and their most popular to date We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic in 2013 and translated their songwriting tactics to a much more palatable and softer approach that the indie community absolutely ate up. Unfortunately Foxygen failed to capitalize on this hype as just a year later they would release the critically panned and borderline unfinished ..And Star Power an album that has gone down as one of my biggest personal disappointments of the decade so far. In one of the biggest surprises of the decade Foxygen took 3 years off and came back with something absolutely brilliant. On the back of killer singles like America and Follow The Leader Foxygen dropped Hang an album that I would not only give a glowing 10/10 review to but the one that would go on to be my album of the year in 2017. So given the pedigree of Foxygen's songwriting talent and knack for theatrical blends of indie genres there was no reason not to anticipate this album to once again be excellent and while it has its moments, not every experiment hits. 

The lead single for this album was Livin' A Lie, a killer ballad that is exactly in Foxygen's wheelhouse. The hook is full of Sam's trademark dramatic vocals and the instrumental while simple is incredibly effective. The track is a blend of everything Foxygen does right and paired perfectly with the second single Face The Facts. It once again has a simple but effective chorus and finds it's lane with campy lyrics that scratch a very Foxygen specific itch and some excellent guitar work that pulls from some of the classic rock influences. Finally the third single and one I was less high on was Work. It has a bouncy instrumental with metallic samples that reminds me of early Depeche Mode. Ultimately I do enjoy this song but it is a lot for just a few minutes and it seems like they just threw up every idea they had at once and not every moment here is perfect. 

But given who Foxygen is and how much I enjoy the singles some of the moments on this album are truly confusing inclusions. Seeing Other People is probably the most underwritten track here and is just a wandering ballad with some purposely obscured vocals that doesn't seem to accomplish much in its 3 minute run time. Given this is the title track and third song I'm surprised with how little there is here to really grab on to. Flag At Half-Mast is another strange inclusion with one of the flattest hooks I've ever heard Foxygen deliver. The song is far too slow and wanders through its 5 minute run time without really touching on anything in enough detail to be satisfying. I will admit the "She surely don't listen to Foxygen" line is one of my favorites on the album but it lands on a track that was one of the most disappointing. 

Fortunately beyond here I enjoy just about every song left, even if they aren't as sharp or colorful as Hang.  Mona is a super smooth track with once again a simple but catchy hook and a pretty modest vocal performance. It isn't the type of song that Foxygen usually writes even if Sam's personality comes out a bit more in the second verse but the songwriting is here nonetheless. The Thing Is turned out to be one of my favorite tracks here and turns the comparison of "like if The Rolling Stones made yacht rock" into a good thing. It's got a loud and fiery blend of distorted guitars, bright keys and full bodied percussion. Sam matches it with a great vocal performance and it all adds up to one of the most fun and engaging tracks here.  News is a track that sees Foxygen embracing their uncoolness in the best way. A groovy indie piece full of smooth vocal melodies, campy lyrics and 80s inspired keyboard this is definitely a song only Foxygen can do right. Finally the closing track The Conclusion is absolutely not for everyone and I can imagine it being a low point of some reviews of this project, but after a few listens I began to come around to it. It is essentially a funk song that features soft almost whispered vocals in what is an incredibly strange blend of styles and influences. It once again feels like a song only Foxygen could written and while its very indulgent as an ending it feels like a present for fans. 

Given Foxygen's three excellent releases in this decade so far Seeing Other People had big shoes to fill and frankly it falls short. But what it does do is assemble an incredibly unique series of genre bending indie tunes that executes most of what it does well. Obviously the songwriting and performance talents of Foxygen as a duo make them an act to look out for for years to come, but Seeing Other People won't be remembered as their masterpiece. 7/10

Best Track: Livin A Lie

For more indie music check out my review of The Drums Brutalism here.