Laura Mooney
Arts Editor | ote-arts@unbc.ca

FOSTER THE PEOPLE SUPERMODEL
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o you remember all the way back in 2011 when you

turned on the radio in your car and heard the infectious
Foster the People tune “Pumped-up Kicks?” Then you walked
into a store later that day and heard it again playing on the PA
system? Then once you got home you heard your significant
other playing it throughout the house, after having heard it
once more on the drive home?

The song was absolutely inescapable! “Pumped-up
Kicks” was the song that put California indie-pop band
Foster the People on the radar of everyone from pre-
teens to the middle aged, and now the band is back with
their second studio album, entitled “Supermodel.”

After initially hearing the album, admittedly it is nothing like
Foster the People’s debut album “Torches” which featured

a more upbeat tone. The band seems to have switched out
the catchy, albeit repetitive beats, for a more mature and
insightful sound. The first single released, entitled “Coming
of Age” is a mellow pop song ripe with synthesizers,

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heavy bass and a strong 80s vibe. Although the song is
by no means bad, it is a far departure from the sound
that made the band so popular and leaves the listener
questioning what band they are really listening to.

Although many of the songs on “Supermodel” are in this
new style that Foster the People seems to be trying out,
the one standout was the track “Pseudologia Fantastica.”
The song is different from anything else on the album,
and honestly is different from anything else on the
music charts today. The song is melodic and symphonic
in a way that reflects more of Foster the People’s old
sound, but with a healthy mix of musical maturity that
only comes with experience in the musical universe.

So while “Supermodel” is a huge departure from the sound
that made Foster the People so famous, the album seems to
be the band’s attempt at transitioning into a more mature
sound to reflect what is now popular in music. While some
of the songs on the album are a clear hit, others seem a bit
uninspired and dull, leaving the listening audience to hope
that next time Foster the People will go back to their roots
and infect us once again with songs like “Pumped-up Kicks.”

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