Synopsis

Foals perform in a stark white space surrounded by surreal, unsettling props. Suspended hearts swing around the band while pills are arranged into strange shapes and puppets. Flowers are struck and broken in time with the restless, angular rhythm, and the members move with exaggerated, jerky energy rather than playing their instruments. The deliberately artificial setting gives the video a mischievous, slightly macabre tone, visually echoing the song's themes of divided identity, emotional confusion, and someone being two-faced.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Cassius" was released as the second single from Foals' debut album, "Antidotes," in 2008. It followed "Balloons" and preceded "Red Socks Pugie."

• Yannis Philippakis explained that the song deals with two-faced behavior and, more extremely, the idea of a split personality.

• The title combines references to Cassius Clay, the birth name of Muhammad Ali, and Cassius, the Roman conspirator associated with the assassination of Julius Caesar. Philippakis connected both figures to the idea of two identities or duality.

• The single reached number 26 on the UK Singles Chart and number 6 on the Scottish Singles Chart.

• Rolling Stone placed "Cassius" at number 45 on its list of the 100 best songs of 2008.

• Contemporary coverage singled out the video's unusual mixture of hanging hearts, pills, flowers, and physical comedy, helping establish Foals as a band with a distinctive visual identity as well as an unconventional sound.