Lumos Maxima!; Foster the People’s blindingly brilliant debut album, ‘Torches’

Foster the People are an indie electronic trio, formed in Los Angeles in 2009. Taking their title from the surname of lead singer, Mark Foster, the band released their debut album ‘Torches’ early in 2011. The 10-track record is currently climbing the UK album charts, riding the success waves of debut single ‘Pumped Up Kicks.’ You will most likely recognise the track from a recent UK mobile phone advertisement, but it has also been featured on several Sci-Fi and cult TV channels.

The band is made up of Foster (vocals, keyboards, piano, synthesizers, guitar), Mark Pontius (drums and percussion) and Cubbie Fink (bass and backing vocals); don’t Americans just have the coolest names…no Brit could ever pull off Cubbie.

Likened to MGMT, Phoenix and Empire of the Sun; Foster the People seamlessly mesh the genres of indie electronic, dream-pop and neo-psychedelia to present a veritable patchwork prodigy and I like it, I like it a lot.

I have picked my favourite 4 tracks from the album and included samples below. These are: ‘Helena Beat’, ‘Pumped Up Kicks’, ‘Waste’ and ‘Houdini.’ A perfect taster of the incandescence which awaits listeners on ‘Torches.’

‘Torches’ includes: Helena Beat / Pumped Up Kicks / Call It What You Want / Don’t Stop (Color On the Walls) / Waste / I Would Do Anything for You / Houdini / Life On the Nickel / Miss You / Warrant

www.fosterthepeople.com

shelleyhanveywriter 🙂