Foster the People – ‘Paradise State of Mind’ album review: a space opera for the indie generation
THE SKINNY: It only feels like days since Foster the People first dominated the airwaves. With hits like ‘Pumped Up Kicks’, ‘Call It What You Want’ and ‘Houdini’ making up their first album, the band became favourites in indie pop, playing to packed-out venues and festival crowds across the world. Now, over a decade later, with their new album Paradise State of Mind, Foster the People show they have only enhanced their songwriting skills with this futuristic record drenched in melody.
The new album sounds like the backing track for the best space opera ever written. Interesting synth sounds are a main character throughout the LP, providing an exciting rhythm that vocals ride around like the ring of Saturn. The band doesn’t go over the top with these futuristic elements, though. Heavily inspired by disco, the catchy choruses and easy-to-dance-to instrumentation evoke the same feelings that initially helped us fall in love with Foster the People without overwhelming the listener.
The record is equally nostalgic and modern. It’s not going to be out of place on the radio, and yet it will also take people back to the first time that they heard such an influential band. We’re entering a new chapter of Foster the People, and it’s one filled with futurism, space travel, and out-of-this-world music.
It’s exciting to see a band that had success during the original indie boom be able to make a name for themselves in this current resurgence without relying on what originally made them big and also not betraying their original sound. It’s a near-impossible balance to strike, but Foster the People do it wonderfully here. The band is back, and the album is paradise.
For fans of: Fizzy sweets that make you see colours, the Magic School Bus and sci-fi epics.
A concluding comment from a xenomorph: “I’m suddenly not blood-thirsty, and I just wanna dance.”
Paradise State of Mind track by track
Release date: August 16th | Producer: Mark Foster and Isom Innis | Label: Atlantic Records
‘See You In The Afterlife’: Oddly nostalgic yet incredibly modern. A real crossover between funk and disco, heavy on the synthesiser and fun throughout. It feels like the band has never been away, as the danceable elements of the classics are in full force. [4/5]
‘Lost In Space’: A really epic introduction that wouldn’t feel out of place in a space opera. The intergalactic theme persists with the bass and light synths accompanying the sweet vocal melody. There’s no other way to describe the song besides fun, plenty of replay value, keeping us dancing. [4/5]
‘Take Me Back’: Slightly more subdued but still upbeat and easy listening. The change in rhythm and tempo comes as a surprise throughout this song. Strange drum beats come in for ten-second periods a couple of times, but they don’t sound out of place; they add to the track’s funkiness. [4/5]
‘Let Go’: A summery Bootsy Collins-adjacent offering. The funk elements on this album are truly inspired; it’s very disco-heavy but stays true to Foster the People’s sound, and this song embodies that better than any other. The orchestral heavy outro is a lovely surprise, too. [4/5]
‘Feed Me’: If this were a space opera, this song would arise as a point of conflict. A slightly villainous feel in the funk that laces the track and the strange beat in the background provided by synth noises hold everything slightly off-kilter. [3.5/5]
‘Paradise State of Mind’: A very pretty song greets us at the halfway mark. The album no doubt relies heavily on different effects and synths, but this track feels a bit cleaner. It’s a nice change of pace. Foster the People is showing that they can still deliver sweet tracks without the bells and whistles and remain the masters of catchy melodies that we’ve always known. [3.5/5]
‘Glitching’: One of the more interesting tracks on the album that will likely divide opinions. It’s good to see the band push boundaries and lean into the potential of electronic music, but this haphazard track feels slightly out of place. [2/5]
‘The Holy Shangri-La’: A beat easier to float in than the Earth’s orbit. Slightly stripped back but funky, a clean cut and gorgeous bassline carry the song as trickling synth sounds and well-executed vocals push its confines. Foster the People proves they can deliver funky and catchy melodies regardless of what tone they go for on a track. [4/5]
‘Sometimes I Wanna Be Bad’: Despite funk being such an overriding factor on this album, the songs don’t sound repetitive. The above description could apply to this track, too, and yet they sound completely different to one another and have their own identities. The ability to remain consistent in an album where nearly every track could be a single is a true achievement. [4/5]
‘Chasing Low Vibrations’: Sunlight in song form. This track feels like the first thing you would listen to after coming back to earth: a new perspective on its beauty, well aware of how big the universe that surrounds it is but still overwhelmed by how much our tiny planet has to offer. [4/5]
‘A Diamond to Be Born’: Vocals are drowned in effects as they sing solo, a steady and slow beginning to the final song on the album. It’s peaceful, almost too peaceful, finally broken up by a masterclass in the synth and breakbeats. Whether you want to leave Earth or come back down to it, this is the song that will help you. [5/5]
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out New Music Newsletter
All the latest New Music from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.