Review Summary: Find hope in the chaos of the universe
Foster The People might be the poster children for peaking early. Their 2011 debut,
Torches, was an immediate hit in indie-pop circles, setting the airwaves ablaze with the massively popular singles ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ and ‘Helena Beat’. For those who pursued the band beyond radio hits, what they found was an extremely consistent record brimming with gems like the romantic ‘I Would Do Anything For You’ or the sweepingly infectious ‘Houdini’. However, with each subsequent release, you could feel their relevance slipping;
Supermodel was more ambitious than
Torches but only half as memorable, and
Sacred Hearts Club felt too streamlined and watered down to have much of an impact at all. For as real as their fall from grace has been,
Paradise State of Mind sparks – if not a
comeback – at least a reason to pay attention again. From the advent of lead single ‘Lost in Space’, it was clear that Foster The People had completely rejuvenated their sound. Bursting at the seams with vibrant psychedelic synths, the most danceable beat of their entire career, and arguably
also their biggest vocal hook since ‘Pumped Up Kicks’, ‘Lost In Space’ brought the
fun back to their songwriting equation. Joy isn’t something that can be manufactured; if the artist feels it, then it comes through in the music. In this case
Paradise State of Mind sounds exactly like what its title implies: it’s smooth, hypnotic, and thoroughly enjoyable.
For the most part, the band’s fourth LP – and their first album in seven years – marks a return to their greatest strengths. While it’s not the end goal of every pop record, this one sure is infectious as hell – ‘Take Me Back’ espouses a groovy rhythm, R&B influences, and an ultra-slick vocal delivery, while ‘Feed Me’ practically prances around the room with its jaunty, synth-glazed drums, magnetic callback vocals, and unexpectedly rich orchestral elements. The whole thing basically just exudes carefree happiness, and the creative appetite that comes with unshackling yourself from expectations. We hear it on the subtle pan flutes that flutter around in the background of ‘The Holy Shangri-La’, or the syrupy, no-fucks-given melodic bliss of ‘Chasing Low Vibrations’. Perhaps the best example of why
Paradise State of Mind is a triumph lands with ‘Let Go’, a track that not only sports a
massive hook for a chorus, but also features the coolest transition of the band’s entire catalog – a choir that gets washed away by a synth wave and mini-avalanche of drums, then floats into the clouds like some kind of string-swept deity destined for the gates of heaven: “There comes a time where there is no time, there is a life that comes after life / To fully prove is to know how to live, there is a world that we cannot pursue / To be broken is to be set free, to find hope in the chaos of the universe.” Not bad for a group whose most famous pen-to-paper moment might’ve otherwise been “You better run, better run faster than my bullet.”
Still, there’s little about
Paradise State of Mind that will convert anyone not already onboard. It’s a glowing neon billboard version of
Torches, for better or worse. Amid all the excitement and flowing of creative juices, the songs can become too busy. There are a few tracks here that pass by without making much of an impact – “filler” by textbook definition. The production is so glossy that sometimes you’ll wonder how many microplastics you consumed just by listening to it. None of this matters
too much, though, because the honest truth is that’s essentially what listeners flock to a band like Foster The People for: richly mixed psychedelic indie-pop with just enough earworms to soundtrack a summer. By those measures, Foster The People have scored a hit here – even if that very definition of success caps the Tame Impala-esque ceiling that it might’ve otherwise reached.
Paradise State of Mind marks an interesting reassertion of mainstream dominance for a band that has mostly taken a back seat ever since they exploded onto the scene thirteen years ago. There are clearly enough catchy choruses and hooks here to push Foster The People into the upper echelon of whatever alternative charts still exist, but the real pleasure here is witnessing the group let loose again. Their music hasn’t sounded this dynamic or effortless in a long time, and for listeners who’ve been around since
Torches, that’s its own reward. With the influx of diverse instrumentation and delightfully wacky songwriting/production choices,
Paradise State of Mind may actually be their most accomplished album to-date – regardless, it’s definitely their most entertaining.
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