Foxygen

History

Rado and France started their band in high school when both were fifteen. After their formation in 2005, the band played experimental music; influenced by psychedelia and avant-garde. They self-released four EPs between 2007 and 2011. In early 2011, they were 'discovered' by producer Richard Swift after handing him one of their EPs at a Mynabird's show in New York. The group were later signed on to Jagjaguwar Records and their first studio album, Take the Kids Off Broadway, was released by Jagjaguwar on July 24, 2012.

On January 22, 2013, Jagjaguwar released Foxygen's second album, We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic. This album was produced by Richard Swift and recorded at his National Freedom studio. The record was preceded by the single "Shuggie," released on October 4, 2012. In March 2013, Foxygen was named one of Fuse TV's 30 must-see artists at SXSW.

The band has gained a reputation for its unhinged live shows and maniacal behavior of lead singer France. In 2014, for their tours promoting …And Star Power, the group expanded to a nine-piece including three back-up singer/dancers.

The band released their third LP, the theatrical Hang, on January 20, 2017, via Jagjaguwar. The album features collaborations with the Flaming Lips' Steven Drozd and a 40+ piece orchestra arranged by Trey Pollard and Matthew E White. The Irish Times described the album as “Theatrical is an apt description of this collection as a whole"while noting that the album "edges perilously close to pastiche".

Critical reception

The Entertainment Weekly staff wrote, "We just can't stop playing the scruffy psych-rock duo's Rolling Stones-obsessed album with the appropriately exuberant title We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic." In January 2013, Pitchfork Media cited Foxygen under "Best New Music" in their review of the new album. Their 2014 album, the Todd Rundgren-influenced ...And Star Power received decidedly mixed reviews. While Paste praised it as "...indulgent, unhinged, sprawling, funny and sometimes spookily great," and Slant Magazine called it a "dense and rewarding listen," other critics like Hal Horowitz at American Songwriter called it "...an occasionally interesting failed experiment."

Discography