Foster The People:Torches

8/10 dropps

Foster The People is a newer indie pop/rock band from Los Angeles, California, who have made some big splashes and waves in the independent music scene over the last several months. The band formed in 2009 after some of its members previously experimented with hip-hop; that project was changed to Foster The People after the viral success of “Pumped Up Kicks,” a song addressing homicide and gun violence, and receiving buzz from several highly credible internet promotion sites, such as NPR and The Hype Machine. This band has made an incredible album called Torches. You can also say the music festival circuits have treated Foster The People well, with gigs at South By Southwest, Coachella, and Sasquatch to name a few. They have also recently performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

It is easy to go on about the awesomeness of the seemingly “new Columbine anthem” lead single titled “Pumped Up Kicks” and its catchy chorus. Originally, with lyrics like “All the other kids with the pumped up kicks, better run, better run outrun my gun/All the other kids with the pumped up kicks better run, better run, faster than my bullet,” one would think this song is a “hipster death anthem” shooting down the type of kid who sports retro Air Jordans, Reebok Pumps, Toms, or Sperry Topsiders. However in deeper context, the song gets much more cerebral; it talks about a kid who finds a gun in his dad’s closet and smokes cigarettes. I’m pretty sure FTP does not endorse youth violence. Rather, the important issue the song brings forth is one that doesn’t get discussed enough in music, especially in a culture that promotes an over-saturation of love songs, with club anthems filling up mainstream radio waves.

“Pumped Up Kicks” is one of those songs that has an upbeat melody and rhythm, paired up with a subliminally dark, lyrical subject. There are nearly a million eligible examples of its kind, but we have all heard those incredible songs about demoralizing subjects that have made it big. Their second single off of Torches, called “Houdini,” encourages people to “Focus on your ability” and “Gain again what they want to steal” which speaks to me as a fellow musical artist, in the spirit of creating something that will hopefully inspire others.

Musically, Foster The People are highly similar to the modern crop of indie pop bands currently on the market. Their sound is reminiscent of Passion Pit, Friendly Fires, Miike Snow, and Late of the Pier just to name a few. Honestly, this is a much more musically safer listen than something like Animal Collective, though it still includes ambient electronics, and oscillations within traditional rock/songwriter based brand of indie pop. Mark Foster, (the band’s selling point) is the heart of the craftsmanship behind Torches and their first EP released beforehand. At first it is almost instinctual to compare Foster The People to Passion Pit, though there are some minor differences like a split between more electronic versus rock sound, and the range of ambient soundscapes/keyboard pad progressions/reverby vocals. Both bands bring a unique yet related influence to their scene, and they would be a great match for a possible tour.

Releases like Torches exemplify the closing of a gap between what is considered indie and what is considered mainstream. It’s well deserving of it’s high praise and “critical acclaim” that trophies many musical releases nowadays. The music is friendly, engaging, and at times emotional and experimental. Other songs worth checking out would be “Helena Beat,” “Waste,” “Life on the Nickel,” and “Warrant.” Now go get those kicks shined up and be careful! Love.

-Chris Big Money