Hey, guys
It's currently the middle of November as I'm sketching out another post about Foster The People. Now that the boys have released their first album in seven years, “Paradise State Of Mind”, along with dropping several singles, I'm wondering if the new lineup stacks up against the original members, Mark Foster alongside Cubbie Fink and Mark Pontius, when the band first formed. Foster The People has since dwindled into a duo, particularly with Sean Cimino taking a sabbatical, but how does it compare to the past? I'm discussing this today so let's begin!
Foster The People formed in Los Angeles during the calendar month and year of October 2009 and Mark Foster followed through when he posted a rough demo of “Pumped Up Kicks” to the band's old website only to come out on top when the track exploded into a viral sensation. The original three were now a vital staple in the industry with the release of their debut, but overtime it slowly disintegrated under the radar of the mainstream media. Aside from “Kicks”, other hits in the “Torches” album cycle included: “Don't Stop(Color On The Walls)”, “Helena Beat”, “Call It What You Want”, and “Houdini”. I personally love the last two songs more so than “Kicks”.
The boys eventually released more albums and dropped other singles “Coming Of Age” and “Best Friend” from 2014's “Supermodel” before original member Cubbie Fink fled the scene, as well as “Sit Next To Me”, “Doing It For The Money" and “Pay The Man” from 2017's “Sacred Hearts Club”, which would be the final album, after 2020's EP “In The Darkest Of Nights, Let The Birds Sing”, for drummer Mark Pontius, before he too departed from the ensemble. Since the primary lineup was now defunct that left Sean Cimino and Isom Innis as next of kin with the only original member of the band Mark Foster left behind. This would inevitably change again just before the fourth album was released.
The boys spent the summer of 2024 dropping singles from “PSOM” after announcing the follow up to their 2017 record, however, everything was different this time as Cimino went missing leaving Innis and Foster to ride out the turbulent wave of an album release. One member down, Isom and Mark wasted no time booking DJ sets, not only in America, but also in various parts of the world to warm up the crowd for a future tour beginning January of 2025 and ending in March after they perform in South America for Lollapalooza. Foster The People were reborn into a new and improved version of themselves that it was hard to believe FTP used to be made up of anyone else aside from Mark and company. I can't help but wonder how the new group stacks up against the past?
Between the initial trilogy of albums compared to “Paradise State Of Mind” FTP has undergone a gigantic musical and aesthetic transformation. Whereas before the boys composed sugary pop songs, although simplistic and super danceable, only vibed with mainstream audiences and/or anyone who only cared about “Kicks” enough to snub the rest of the band's music. This time around the “PSOM” era serves up a feast suited only for Foster kids, old and new, who truly care about the craft of REAL music instead of feel good tunes. Granted, “Lost In Space”, “See You In The Afterlife”, “Feed Me”, and “Take Me Back” do provide that happy feel good ambience if anyone so desires it.
The true craft of musicianship glistens with tracks like “Glitchzig”, “A Diamond To Be Born”, “Sometimes I Want To Be Bad”, and “Let Go” when Innis and Foster opt for mature complexity and incorporate odd instrumentation into the fold, thus causing the band to fall out of the industry geared only towards trendy and popular artists with an insatiable appetite to people please. Now that the boring and unadventurous members are gone the duo can go hog wild creating the ideal album they always wanted without restraint. The boys have officially entered the best and most important chapter of their career; this is Foster The People 2.0!
I'm a bit torn between which lineup I like most, but if I had to pick one I'd choose the new ensemble as opposed to the old one. As much as I adore Ponsi and Cubbie I also love the new standard the Innis and Cimino have set for Foster The People in the coming decade. This time I feel like the boys have more room to work with creative ideas when back then that just wasn't possible. Whichever way it goes Foster The People are amazing regardless of whoever's on board.
That's it. That's the post. I'll return soon with more.