Foals - Balloons

What this video is

Released in December 2007 as the lead single from Foals' debut album Antidotes, 'Balloons' arrived at the tail end of the UK post-punk revival that had been catalysed by Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, and Maximo Park earlier in the decade. Foals represented a more angular, math-rock-inflected evolution of that scene — rooted in Oxford's art-school underground and signed to independent label Transgressive Records. The…

Why it matters

As the debut single from Foals' Antidotes, 'Balloons' introduced the band's distinctive fusion of math-rock polyrhythms and art-indie dance energy to a mainstream UK audience. The video's surrealist visual language set a template for Foals' broader aesthetic identity, establishing a visual…

The director

Dave Ma is a photographer and director who established himself after relocating to London, building a visual identity through portraiture and music videos. He developed an extensive collaborative relationship with Foals across press campaigns and multiple…