The album's themes are varied and cryptic, but are generally melancholic and focused on relationships. They are exemplified by the four singles: "Balloons", "Cassius", "Red Socks Pugie", and "Olympic Airways".
The album was recorded in Stay Gold Studios Brooklyn in summer 2007,[3] and was produced by TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek. However, Foals remixed Antidotes in London, complaining that he made it sound like it was "recorded in the Grand Canyon."[4]
However, in an interview with MusFlashTV, Foals' drummer Jack Bevan said, "Our producer, David Sitek was great because he didn't interfere in the actual recording progress. We kind of engineered it so that we would get the tracks down, get all of the sort of essential parts down and then, halfway through the recording he kind of came in, and when we were doing overdubs and that kind of thing, he sort of started to assist us with making it sort of fill out." Yannis added "All the sounds were there, and he added a depth. He messed with the spaces around the sounds so there's this weird ambience on all the tracks."[5]
The tracking of the parts was unorthodox in many ways ranging from drums recorded in alleyways on cassette tape recorders and then reprocessed through outboard gear to vocals being sung while moving round the room and brass performed by members of Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra directed to not play directly into the microphones.
It peaked at number three in the UK Albums Chart.[16] In the US, it reached a high of number 28 in Top Heatseekers, but failed to chart in the Billboard Top 200.[17]
According to Metacritic, the album received "generally favourable reviews" from critics.[18]
^Guardian Staff (February 17, 2008). "Reviews 11-25". Archived from the original on February 20, 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
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