Foster the People- Paradise State of Mind
Label: Atlantic
Producers: Mark Foster, Paul Epworth, Isom Innis, Chrome Sparks
From the moment that Foster the People entered the national consciousness thirteen years ago with the runaway sleeper hit, “Pumped Up the Kicks”, it’s been virtually impossible to map where the indie-pop band’s artistic inclinations would take them and their listeners next. Over the course of three studio albums and a host of extended plays, bandleader Mark Foster and his group have traversed across a vast universe of varied soundscapes, heady social commentaries, and rugged emotional baggage. This fascinating combination of artistic fortitude and vibrant unpredictability remains at the core of their appeal on the group’s first long-player in seven years, and also the first since a record label change and subsequent shake-up in their original line-up. With Paradise State of Mind, they use the chaotic societal fragmentation of the 2020s as an on-brand, curious, and spell-binding opportunity to deep-dive into the glittery sounds of peak-era 70s disco, with trippy tinges of psychedelia and Prince & The Revolution-recalling funk serving as suitable sidekicks. It proves to be a deliciously hypnotic stylistic choice. Ever steeped in the spirit of their “Pumped Up” breakthrough over a decade ago, Foster and company parlay complex and challenging accounts of cultural mania, global warfare and emotional conflict into irresistibly bopping musical euphoria. It can be a complicated marriage to reconcile, to feel so damn good while listening to music centered around such dark subject matter. But it’s precisely that dichotomous dilemma that has always kept the FTP fanbase ravenously coming back for more. The towering opening pair of songs, “See You In the Afterlife” and “Lost in Space”, are exquisite as any recent recording in terms of capturing the shimmering powers of disco’s original, alluring magic, all while waxing on the dangerous cliff our polarized society and world leaders remain convicted in teetering upon. Might as well smile and dance until the apocalypse, right? The record does inevitably pivot to more pensive sonic palates over time to match with the reflective nature of the material, particularly on trippier tracks like “Let Go” or “Feed Me”, which prove to be provocative assessments of our species’ increasingly corruptive reliance on technology. Not every moment across the record is flawless; “Glitchzig” specifically feels like a moment where the album starts to sputter a bit. However, things do rebound nicely with a run of songs that lean nicely into some beguiling jazz and symphonic leanings, namely “The Holy Shangri-La” and “Chasing Low Vibrations”. Once again, it seems as if there are very few genres or sonic choices that don’t somehow meld seamlessly into the People’s alternative foundation. All of these elements reach a glorious fever pitch on the closer, “A Diamond To Be Born”, which dramatically and beautifully blends orchestral flourishes with walls of synths, while pitting electronically altered vocals against those that are as passionately raw as anything Foster has ever committed to tape. It’s an aggressively swelling moment that perfectly encapsulates all of the conflict that both defines societal evolution, and proves to be heart of the entire project. Like all of the preceding landmark moments of alternative music, Paradise State of Mind is simultaneously entertaining and provoking, wholly worthy of reverence for the conversations it continues, as it is for its sheer sonic seduction.
Track Listing:
- “See You In the Afterlife” (Mark Foster, Ison Innis, Riley McIntyre)
- “Lost in Space” (Foster, Innis)
- “Take Me Back” (Foster, Innis)
- “Let Go” (Foster, Paul Epworth, Sarah Aarons)
- “Feed Me” (Foster, Innis)
- “Paradise State of Mind” (Foster, Epworth, Jack Penate)
- “Glitchzig” (Foster)
- “The Holy Shangri-La” (Foster, Epworth, McIntyre, Asa Taccone)
- “Sometimes I Wanna Be Bad” (Foster)
- “Chasing Low Vibrations” (Foster, Innis, Jeremy Malvin)
- “A Diamond to Be Born” (Foster, Innis)
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