What Went Down
{{Other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox album
| name = What Went Down
| type = studio
| artist = Foals
| cover = What went down cover.jpg
| alt =
| released = 28 August 2015
| recorded = 2014–2015
| studio = La Fabrique
(Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France)
| genre = Indie rock, alternative rock, hard rock
| length = 48:21
| label =
| producer = James Ford
| prev_title = Holy Fire
| prev_year = 2013
| next_title = Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1
| next_year = 2019
| misc = {{Singles
| name = What Went Down
| type = studio
| single1 = What Went Down
| single1date = 16 June 2015
| single2 = Mountain at My Gates
| single2date = 21 July 2015
| single3 = Give It All
| single3date = 25 December 2015
| single4 = Birch Tree
| single4date = 15 January 2016
}}
}}
What Went Down is the fourth studio album by British rock band Foals, released on 28 August 2015 via Transgressive Records in the United Kingdom.{{cite web|url=http://www.neverenoughnotes.co.uk/2015/06/foals-share-new-material-all-12-seconds-of-it/|title=Foals share new material: all 12 seconds of it|author=Kimberley-Marie Sklinar Green|work=Never Enough Notes|access-date=2015-06-12|archive-date=2015-09-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922075427/http://www.neverenoughnotes.co.uk/2015/06/foals-share-new-material-all-12-seconds-of-it/|url-status=dead}} The album is produced by James Ford, known for his work with Simian Mobile Disco, The Last Shadow Puppets and Arctic Monkeys amongst others. Frontman Yannis Philippakis called it their loudest and heaviest record to date.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/foals-interview-yannis-philippakis-on-their-most-volatile-intense-album-yet|title=Foals Interview: Yannis Philippakis On Their Most Volatile, Intense Album Yet|work=NME}} What Went Down debuted at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart and at number 58 on the Billboard 200, making it their highest charting album in the United States to date.
Promotion and release
On 9 June 2015, a 12-second clip teaser of the band performing aggressively in an empty warehouse entitled "FOALS // 2015" was released through their social media.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTwwpcWggXI|title=FOALS // 2015|date=9 June 2015|work=YouTube}} Two days later, it was announced that What Went Down was to be released 28 August 2015 via Transgressive Records with a slightly longer trailer in lieu.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/59764-foals-announce-new-album-what-went-down/|title=Foals|work=Pitchfork|date=11 June 2015}}
On 16 June, the album's self-titled debut single was debuted on DJ Annie Mac's BBC Radio 1 show,{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/59981-foals-share-new-song-what-went-down-and-video/|title=Foals|work=Pitchfork|date=16 June 2015}} along with the premiere of the music video (directed by Niall O'Brien) via YouTube.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuQQIawCqBA|title=FOALS - What Went Down [Official Music Video]|date=16 June 2015|via=YouTube}}
Reception
{{Music ratings
| MC = 77/100{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/what-went-down/foals |title=Reviews for What Went Down by Foals |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=29 August 2015}}
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1Score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/what-went-down-mw0002860324 |title=What Went Down – Foals |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=29 August 2015 |last=Donelson |first=Marcy}}
| rev2 = The Daily Telegraph
| rev2Score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/foals-what-went-down-album-review/ |title=Foals, What Went Down, review: 'brutally imposing' |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=25 August 2015 |access-date=5 May 2016 |last=McCormick |first=Neil |author-link=Neil McCormick}}
| rev3 = Entertainment Weekly
| rev3Score = A−{{cite magazine |url=https://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/28/what-went-down-by-foals-review |title=What Went Down |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=28 August 2015 |access-date=5 May 2016 |last=Anderson |first=Kyle |archive-date=21 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121155941/http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/28/what-went-down-by-foals-review |url-status=dead }}
| rev4 = The Guardian
| rev4Score = {{rating|3|5}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/aug/27/foals-what-went-down-review-bulked-up-indie-with-a-hypermasculine-snarl |title=Foals: What Went Down review – bulked-up indie with a hypermasculine snarl |work=The Guardian |date=27 August 2015 |access-date=5 May 2016 |last=Mokoena |first=Tshepo}}
| rev5 = Mojo
| rev5Score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite journal |url=http://www.mojo4music.com/21547/foals-what-went-down/ |title=Foals – What Went Down |journal=Mojo |date=24 August 2015 |access-date=29 August 2015 |last=Doyle |first=Tom}}
| rev6 = NME
| rev6Score = 7/10{{cite journal |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/foals/16225 |title=Foals – 'What Went Down' |journal=NME |date=25 August 2015 |access-date=29 August 2015 |last=Beaumont |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Beaumont (journalist) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304230844/http://www.nme.com/reviews/foals/16225 |archive-date=4 March 2016}}
| rev7 = Pitchfork
| rev7score = 6.7/10{{cite journal |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20971-what-went-down/ |title=Foals: What Went Down |journal=Pitchfork |date=2 September 2015 |access-date=21 December 2015 |last=Cohen |first=Ian}}
| rev8 = Q
| rev8Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite journal |title=Foals: What Went Down |journal=Q |issue=351 |date=October 2015 |page=100}}
| rev9 = Rolling Stone
| rev9Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/foals-what-went-down-20150828 |title=What Went Down |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=28 August 2015 |access-date=5 May 2016 |last=Dolan |first=Jon}}
| rev10 = Uncut
| rev10Score = 8/10{{cite journal |title=Foals: What Went Down |journal=Uncut |issue=221 |date=October 2015 |last=Snapes |first=Laura |page=75}}
}}
What Went Down received largely positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 77, based on 23 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
Mark Beaumont of NME praised the album, saying, "For ‘What Went Down’, written in their Oxford “stinkbox”, they have found their fulcrum. Riffs. Massive, fucking heavy cavern rock riffs, the size of cathedrals and the weight of God's balls. They slammed into your eardrums like wrecking balls the first time you heard the compulsive title-track, aghast that these desert rock goliaths could be the same band that sounded like frivolous disco pixies just two years ago. Opening their fourth album, Yannis roaring “When I see a man I see a lion!” over its Stooges-meets-Queens fuzz throttle, it sounds like a defining statement, an arrival. They've mastered math rock, destroyed disco and flattened funk, now they measure hard rock in their hands like a medicine ball, and find it a comfortable weight."
Ian Cohen of Pitchfork gave the album a generally positive review noting that, "What Went Down is the latest example of Foals’ uncanny ability to make records whose basic musical trajectory and quality are nearly equal regardless of the band's intentions going in. And What Went Down is their most consistent, steady-handed work yet—the distance between their purest pop moments ("Miami", "My Number") and their opulent ballads ("Spanish Sahara") has virtually disappeared. It's also significantly less exciting than Total Life Forever and Holy Fire, dynamic records because of their unevenness and ambitious strain—while Foals have realized a sound that's truly their own, they sound far too comfortable in it."
=Accolades=
| class="wikitable" |
| Publication
! Accolade ! Year ! Rank |
|---|
| NME
| NME's Albums of the Year 2015 | 2015 |
Track listing
{{Track listing
| title1 = What Went Down
| length1 = 5:00
| title2 = Mountain at My Gates
| length2 = 4:02
| title3 = Birch Tree
| length3 = 4:21
| title4 = Give It All
| length4 = 4:47
| title5 = Albatross
| length5 = 5:23
| title6 = Snake Oil
| length6 = 4:21
| title7 = Night Swimmers
| length7 = 4:44
| title8 = London Thunder
| length8 = 4:14
| title9 = Lonely Hunter
| length9 = 4:37
| title10 = A Knife in the Ocean
| length10 = 6:52
| total_length = 48:21
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Digital deluxe edition
| total_length =
| title11 = What Went Down
| note11 = official video
| length11 = 5:41
| title12 = Mountain at My Gates
| note12 = official video
| length12 = 4:01
| title13 = Birch Tree
| note13 = lyric video
| length13 = 4:22
| title14 = Give It All
| note14 = Poolside Session
| length14 = 5:41
| title15 = Albatross
| note15 = CCTV Session
| length15 = 6:06
| title16 = Snake Oil
| note16 = CCTV Session
| length16 = 5:02
| title17 = Night Swimmers
| note17 = lyric video
| length17 = 4:43
| title18 = London Thunder
| note18 = Poolside Session
| length18 = 4:49
| title19 = Lonely Hunter
| note19 = CCTV Session
| length19 = 5:28
| title20 = A Knife in the Ocean
| note20 = lyric video
| length20 = 6:54
| title21 = Crème anglaise
| note21 = Making of What Went Down) (iTunes exclusive
| length21 = 27:58
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Deluxe edition DVD
| total_length =
| title1 = Crème anglaise
| note1 = Making of What Went Down
| length1 = 27:59
| title2 = What Went Down
| note2 = official video
| length2 = 5:48
| title3 = Give It All
| note3 = Poolside Session
| length3 = 5:40
| title4 = London Thunder
| note4 = Poolside Session
| length4 = 4:47
}}
Personnel
Foals
- Yannis Philippakis – vocals, guitar, art direction
- Jack Bevan – drums
- Jimmy Smith – guitar, keyboards
- Walter Gervers – bass, backing vocals
- Edwin Congreave – keyboards, backing vocals
Technical personnel
- James Ford – producer, additional keyboards, guitar & percussion
- Jimmy Robertson – engineer
- Damien Arlot – studio assistant
- Alan Moulder – mixing at Assault & Battery Studios, London
- Caesar Edmunds – mix assistant
- John Davis – mastering at Metropolis Studios, London
- Foals – studio photography
- Daisuke Yokota – artwork and additional photography
- Neil Krug – additional photography
- Mike Lythgoe – design
DVD personnel
- Kit Monteith and Foals – filming and editing of "Crème anglaise" and the Poolside Sessions
- Niall O'Brien – director of "What Went Down"
- Liz Kessler – producer of "What Went Down"
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Weekly chart performance for What Went Down ! Chart (2015) ! Peak |
| {{album chart|Australia|3|artist=Foals|album=What Went Down|rowheader=true|accessdate=5 September 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Austria|36|artist=Foals|album=What Went Down|rowheader=true|accessdate=10 September 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Flanders|17|artist=Foals|album=What Went Down|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 September 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Wallonia|14|artist=Foals|album=What Went Down|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 September 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Netherlands|4|artist=Foals|album=What Went Down|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 September 2015}} |
| {{album chart|France|14|artist=Foals|album=What Went Down|rowheader=true|accessdate=7 September 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Germany4|26|artist=Foals|album=What Went Down|id=278350|rowheader=true|accessdate=5 September 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Hungary|15|year=2015|week=38|rowheader=true|accessdate=26 September 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Ireland|5|year=2015|week=36|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 September 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Italy|86|artist=Foals|album=What Went Down|rowheader=true|accessdate=5 September 2015}} |
| scope="row"| Japanese Albums (Oricon){{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/448240/products/1139743/1/|script-title=ja:ホワット・ウェント・ダウン(初回限定盤) - フォールズ |language=ja|publisher=Oricon|access-date=7 July 2022}}
| 134 |
|---|
| {{album chart|New Zealand|5|artist=Foals|album=What Went Down|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 September 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Portugal|15|artist=Foals|album=What Went Down|rowheader=true|accessdate=16 July 2021}} |
| {{album chart|Spain|33|artist=Foals|album=What Went Down|rowheader=true|accessdate=1 October 2021}} |
| {{album chart|Switzerland|9|artist=Foals|album=What Went Down|rowheader=true|accessdate=9 September 2015}} |
| {{album chart|UK2|3|date=20150904|rowheader=true|accessdate=4 September 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Billboard200|58|artist=Foals|rowheader=true|accessdate=9 September 2015}} |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Year-end chart performance for What Went Down ! Chart (2015) ! Position |
| scope="row"| UK Albums (OCC){{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/end-of-year-artist-albums-chart/20150104/37502|title=End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2015|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=30 June 2020}}
| 71 |
|---|
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for What Went Down}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|award=Gold|artist=Foals|title=What Went Down|type=album|relyear=2015|certyear=2016|id=13452-129-2}}
{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true | noshipments=true | streaming=true}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Foals}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Transgressive Records albums