PB&Jams: Foster The People

By Samantha Webster, The Dartmouth Staff | 5/26/15 3:55am

I know, I know, Foster The People put out a new album last year, and it’s called “Supermodel” not “Torches.” But this week, it feels like the start of summer and “Torches” (2011) is a quintessential summer album for me — perfect for drives with the windows down or blasting it through whatever speakers you can get to play outside on the porch (which is inevitably just someone’s phone placed strategically in a cup).
Foster the People is an indie-pop band from Los Angeles (“Of course!” you’re saying — of course an indie-pop band is from LA!!!). The name of the band evidently comes from the fact that their vocalist’s name is Mark Foster (that’s research right there).

The topic of today’s PB&Jams, “Torches” was the band’s debut album. The 2010 single “Pumped Up Kicks” — the song that brought Foster The People into the public eye — was later released on this album in 2011. Like most indie bands’ first hits, it remains a mystery why this was the first to blow up — it seems to be one of the least likely tracks on the album to please the masses, with its synthetic intro and long, driving melody. As usual, let me justify why some other songs on the album are more immediately loveable and why they’re worth adding to your summer playlist.

“Waste”

The intro is bouncy and almost bubbly with a catchy bass line and some modified vocals. Lyrically, it jumps right into all the right things to say with an opening line that sets the tone for the rest of the song:

I’ll hold your hand when you are feeling mad at me
Yeah when the monsters they won’t go
And your windows don’t close
I pretend to see what you see

The chorus comes in with what sounds like an offer that would be hard to refuse:

And every day that you wanna waste, you can
And every day that you wanna wake up, you wanna wake, you can
And every day that you wanna change, that you wanna change
I’ll help you to see it through
‘Cause I just really want to be with you

As I see it, all any of us want is someone in our lives who makes doing nothing fun. And it certainly seems like Foster’s down to waste as long as needed with the object of his affection in this one.

“I Would Do Anything for You”

The album turns to a love song once again with “I Would Do Anything for You.” The title pretty much says it all, but the lyrics reiterate this slightly sappy message. It’s an “I’m-all-in” sort of sentiment right off the bat as Foster sings,

I don’t know what the plan is
But you can share it with me
‘Cause I’ll be listening here
To everything you say
I won’t turn away
And I will listen, open up my heart and
I must say that I love you

And the chorus declares what we likely already deduced:

Ooh la love, I’m falling in love
And it’s better this time than ever before
Ooh la love, I’m falling in love
And it’s better this time than ever before

It’s almost too sweet, but catchy enough to make you forgive what could otherwise be construed as cheesy — definitely best played on full blast while singing along.


Samantha Webster, The Dartmouth Staff