Following the release of tropical disco-infused comeback single 'Wake Me Up' back in November, Foals have dropped their blistering new track '2am'. Premiering as BBC Radio 1's Hottest Record in the World today, it's a bigger dance-pop banger than we've heard in years from the trio.

Speaking to the band's UK drummer, Jack Bevan, Hot Press scoop a few more coveted details about their forthcoming seventh album, titled Life is Yours. The Oxford-formed act have been at work on the follow-up to their 2019 sister LPs Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost: Part One and Part Two, as frontman Yannis Philippakis recently discussed with us.

Is there still that sense of burgeoning nervous energy and excitement with a new Foals single release, given how long they've been putting out records?

“It's funny, I took a big break from listening to all the new material because I tend to listen to the tracks all the time when we record them," he replies, grinning from his London home on the Zoom screen. "When we're mixing, because you have to make notes of any necessary changes, you end up listening to each song about 10 times a day for two or three weeks, or even a month. That's when I get burnout. I just needed a break, so I took a month off listening until this morning. I got so excited because I'm finally hearing the song for what it is, rather than making notes. We got so used to not doing anything when Covid happened, but we’re raring to go now. This record really does feel like our reaction to the pandemic, when we were trying to imagine life going back to normal.”

Foals teased their return on TikTok with a clip from their 'Wake Me Up' video last October. Infusing elements of funk and disco into the song, the outfit use the influence of synths alongside the indie-rock guitar-driven anthems known for setting the place alight during their gigs. I quiz Jack on whether '2am' trumps their previous single.

“I love them both, but I prefer ‘2am’ as a song," he concedes. "There's a few future fan favourites on this record, but ‘2am’ is one of the most simple songs we've ever written. It’s also one of the catchiest. It’s probably among the best pop songs we've ever written. There's a lightness to it, which spreads across the record. It’s a fun, listenable album.”

“You have to be in a certain mood to want to listen to records from start to finish. This album definitely feels like a record I’d put on if I was getting ready to go on a night out. I put on Metronomy’s The English Riviera in full, and it's a very different vibe - same with Weezer's Blue album," he adds. "People might be surprised a little bit by ‘2am’, but ‘My Number’ was a very simple song as well. It's not a million miles away from that sound, but it's got a very different feel to it. There’s disco in there, and pop.”

Given that their forthcoming seventh record will land as a "reaction" to the two-year pandemic and loss of touring, what risks are there surrounding Foals' release date?

“It's one of those things where something could come out of the woodwork and screw it all up again, but hopefully not. Potentially, the album will kind of come at the right time for the public during the pandemic," Bevan posits. "We'd all been individually thinking about how great it would be to make a more upbeat, fun, love letter to life before Covid. A dedication to nightlife and the feeling you can only get by going to gigs. That's why there's a more dance element to it, because we don’t want people to hear the album while sitting at home. The absolute worst thing Foals could do now is make a miserable lockdown album. Nobody wants that. I can't think of anything worse. We were writing songs that would hopefully soundtrack the end of lockdown; the first summer of heading back out into the real world.”

The trio have successfully kept details around the album under lock and key thus far, with no release date officially handed out to the public. How hard is it for Yannis, Jack and guitarist Jimmy Smith to conceal their latest work?

“Whenever we’re at parties, we end up playing demos and songs - that's a bit of a Yannis special actually," Bevan laughs, good-naturedly. "Our friends have heard bits and bobs. I'm terrible because I never know what I'm allowed to talk about. Hopefully I'm not making any PR gaffes! It is quite hard though because, when we finish a record, it usually won’t be that long before we actually release it. However, we completed the album last summer in terms of recording, so it’s been totally finished for a few months now. Knowing it’ll be a few more months until it comes out is frustrating. When you have these big periods of time off as a band, I start feeling like I'm actually unemployed, but when I listened to the new album again this morning I just knew how great the roll out was going to be.”

“I didn't want to over complicate things but I also wanted things to be really fat and bombastic on the drums," Jack notes, reflecting on changes within Foals' drumming. "It's quite a punchy record on the drums, very groove-based. Listening to it makes me unbelievably excited to play it live. It’s just a very dance-heavy record.”

As part of their UK and European tour, Foals will perform at Dublin's Fairview Park on June 27, 2022. Having earned numerous accolades for their live shows, the trio have created explosive memories of their time at Irish venues.

Speaking to Hot Press in November, frontman Yannis Philippakis recalled: "I've got great memories of playing Ireland. We will be coming there as well, they just haven't quite organised it yet. It's just difficult for the touring industry to get back to speed fully with the lockdowns. One of my favourite memories of playing Ireland was when we did two nights at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, and we had played much smaller shows up until then."

"It's such a classy venue, and I remember being like, ‘What are we doing here?’. Those two nights were awesome. It was just one of the warmest receptions we'd had up until that point. The other show that's always killer for us out there is Electric Picnic. It's one of my favourite festivals to play anywhere. I like that it comes at the end. You do your whole summer festival season and then boom, one last explosion. The crowds all over Ireland are killer for us."

Building up anticipation for Foals' debut at Fairview Park, Bevan echoes Philippakis' excitement at flying back to the Emerald Isle.

“The vibe at Irish gigs has always been crazily good. I’m really excited about our next Dublin gig. It’s the best time of the year to be doing an outdoor gig, because it’s around the solstice, so it’ll be light until about 10pm. It’s going to feel like a cross between a gig and a festival. With every new record, we get to add a bit to the set.

“Our shows become more of a greatest hits performance," Jack adds, smiling. "With this record, it honestly feels like every track is going to be a banger live. It’s going to be really fun. At this point, it’s hard to actually imagine that June show because we’re in February right now and I haven’t even hit a drum for around three months. I can't wait to actually do that again and relearn what it is that we actually do.”

“I’ll see you at the park in June," Bevan says as we run out of time. "It’s guaranteed to be a great gig.”

‘2am’ is out now.