Fable of the Urban Fox

Here, Arab Strap's Aidan Moffat recounts the story of how once British foxes started getting hunted, they moved into the cities from the countryside, but the urban population saw them as "scruffy scrounging parasites" rather than wily predators. Moffat explained to Stereogum he found inspiration for the song after a small family of foxes started wandering around near his flat. He decided to learn more about them and read Lucy Jones' book, Foxes Unearthed, about Britain's complex relationship with the cunning canines.

Moffat reflected on how the treatment of foxes parallels our relationship with migrants. He told Uncut magazine he wrote the track "after it struck me that the tabloid papers have treated foxes in entirely the same way as refugees and immigrants. They paint them as an enemy, demonize them. It's an obvious metaphor in the context of the song."

Arab Strap recorded the song for As Days Get Dark. Released on March 5, 2021, it became their most successful record to that date, topping the Scottish albums chart and peaking #14 in the UK.