Foster The People Release ‘Supermodel’: Can They Get Passed Pumped Up Kicks?
There was a time when genres of music were untouchable and always stayed in their respectable places, kind of like a board game of Trivial Pursuit segments – distinct and isolated. The Internet has now changed the way we listen to music and what type of music we listen to. It basically tore down and divided the sub-categories of music as it shrugged its digital shoulders at outdated notions of distance and geography.
Foster the People by katribou
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Our mainstream digital world of what this generation calls “real” music has sadly taken over our sound waves, but luckily, there are still some indie rock bands that are hiding under their caves, creating the most possible, significant, and inspirational music that impacts their fans if their style and taste blows their minds and ear drums away.
One band that sticks to doing their own thing and has adapted over the past few years musically is Foster the People, who initially broke out with their debut-album ‘Torches’ in 2011, masterminding a catchy, upbeat single “Pumped Up Kicks” that instantaneously became everyone’s favorite song to hum or whistle to.
The single even inspired some artists’ like MGMT and Sleigh Bells to create a similar sound to Foster’s as more of a modern-indie pop genre that actually gives people the chills and feels compared to other pop songs that may have less meaning than they used to be back then.
Foster The People had released their latest album ‘Supermodel’ on Friday March 14, and it largely echoes the ‘Torches’ template of blissfully blending genres into a churning whirlpool of euphoric pop. Most tracks on ‘Supermodel’ are overflowing with trademark sky-scraping synths, star-cradling melodies, and distorted guitars. Think of The Shins, Passion Pit, and The Strokes mashed up together—this is where indie rock gets a taste of bubble gum pop.
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They stray from this formula on the stripped-back ‘Fire Escape’ and ‘Goats In Trees’ with mixed results. “Goats In Trees” actually takes it slow—surprisingly on ‘Torches’ you rarely hear any slow-paced song because most of their tracks like “Helena Beat” or “Waste” are fast-paced and upbeat, but vocally you can still hear in all their songs that it contrasts with their familiar sound.
Foster even took on different themes, mostly dark ones explored in their songs like “Pseudologia Fantastica” which deals with a PTSD-suffering war veteran’s return home to his family or “A Beginner’s Guide To Destroying The Moon” which hints the dark side of capitalism.
Their current hit single is “Coming of Age,” which is about growing up and leaving behind the immaturity rants that do not seem get an adult anywhere, sounds like a mix of modern and eighties vibe that is rock-oriented and less electric than most of the tracks on ‘Torches’.
In an interview with Q magazine, lead singer and guitarist, Mark Foster states that the record “still has the joy that [their] first album did, but it’s been thrown into a pit and forced to dance among wolves.” Foster challenges his fans to consider what qualities society ranks of importance.
Most of the band’s songs on ‘Supermodel’ refer to themes of self-preservation, identity, and consumption, which were inspired by Foster traveling between the two records. Instead of going home after touring, Foster embarked on a journey throughout the east where he discovered an entirely different world.
Foster noted their “devotion to spirituality” as what stood out the most, hearing the call to prayer five times a day in Morocco. Islam is a religion not concerned with the self so much as our Western Culture. The distinct differences between Eastern and Western cultures are emphasized through each song in the album, and even in the title and artwork.
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In a world where we define our identities based on retweets, followers, and likes, it seems like everyone views him or herself as some kind of supermodel, putting ourselves on display for the rest of the world through something as casual as social media.
When the band started out at the time of creating ‘Torches,’ they began experimenting with their sound without wanting it to be too average or too boring for their listeners. But for those Foster The People fans’ that are stuck with the ‘Torches’ sound, do not expect their current album to sound the same as their last one because they have completely gone in a different direction with ‘Supermodel’.
The album is guitar-heavy and organic, deviating from the electronic vibe of ‘Torches’. If you were a true fan, you would appreciate the direction they worked towards in. It was definitely not bad of a choice to head in a direction where they could try something different and experiment with abstract sound effects and become inspired by the surroundings they were involved in on their current album.
Point is, both albums have different themes but are very meaningful at the same time, and in the end everyone in this generation should look into the “realism” of music instead of relying on Miley Cyrus’ twerking fest and her tongue frequently unfurling in every music video she makes.
