Crossfade Reviews: Foxing "Draw Down The Moon"

 by Karl W.

Foxing "Draw Down The Moon"
[Hopeless]
Indie Rock/Pop Rock/Emo

    I find it hard to categorize a band like Foxing. Sure, when the band broke out in the mid 2010s, they started pretty squarely in the math rock and emo sphere along the same vein as bands like The Hotelier or The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die with albums like "The Albatross" and "Dealer". But then "Nearer My God" came out in 2018 and blew off the borders for this band entirely. The album was experimental, complex, and featured some of the most intense and daring songs to date. Upon revisiting their discography, it was the album that helped put them on the map and expanded their sound past their rather downtrodden earlier works. It was an album to set their path, to be sure, and one that seemed to be a tough act to follow. At the very least, it would make the lead up to their fourth record, "Draw Down The Moon", rather interesting.

    To that point, "Draw Down The Moon" continues the experimentation of their sound to something that's a bit closer to indie pop rock and dance-ready synth rock if anything, an album that is much more hook-driven and accessible than their previous work. To long time fans, I can see how something like this would be a massive departure, and even a massive disappointment, and that's fair. "Nearer My God" was already swinging at the fences with their sound and their experimentation, and while "Draw Down The Moon" doesn't quite get as daring as that album, there is still plenty to like about this album. 

    Now, yes, the album is definitely their most accessible and streamlined album to date, and while that may be off-putting to some, the blend of the electronic elements with the album is surprisingly top-notch, such as on "Beacons", "Bialystoc", and especially "Draw Down The Moon", hands down the catchiest song on this album. Still, it can get tough to get around some of the experimentation on this album, especially as Foxing feel like they're emulating the sound from other bands on some of these songs, like the Killers influence on "Where the Lightning Strikes Twice" or songs that don't sound too far out of Imagine Dragons' wheelhouse like on "If I Believed In Love" or "Cold Blooded". The closest we get to a "typical" Foxing song are on the opening and closing songs on this album, "Speak With The Dead" sounding like it could've been a B-Side from "Nearer My God" with the swell of the drums making it an easy standout on the album.

    The songwriting on this album has taken a slight step down from their previous works, admittedly, as the detail and the harsher song topics on previous albums, especially "Nearer My God", seem to take a step back for more accessible material. However, that's not to say the album is simple in its material. In fact, topics of depression and death can be apparent on plenty of songs, such as having trouble feeling any real emotional connection like on "Cold Blooded" or the feeling of losing all that you have on "At Least You Found the Floor" that is easily the most haunting and sorrowful song on this album. Still, there is some acceptance of one's self on this album, such as lead singer Connor Murphy coming out as bi on "Beacons", or the acceptance of lost friends on "Speak With The Dead". 

    At the end of the day, I'm feeling a bit conflicted on this record. It's a definite step down from the explosive "Nearer My God", and it doesn't quite reach the emotional high points like on their earlier works, but when this album works, we get some of Foxing's catchiest songs to date and a handful of standout moments that still make this album worth it. It might take some getting used to for Foxing fans, but I believe this would be a good starting point for people getting into Foxing as well.

Best Songs: "Beacons", "Draw Down The Moon", "Bialystoc", "At Least We Found The Floor", "Speak With The Dead" (ft. WHY?)

Worst Song: "If I Believed In Love"

7/10 (Good)