CD of The Week

It was only a few months ago that the three members of Foster the People, having only performed a handful of shows, wowed the world with their single “Pumped Up Kicks,” and impressed audiences with their performances at SXSW. Since then, their careers have spiked straight into full force with extensive touring and sold-out shows, a successful EP, interviews galore, and a deal with Columbia to release their debut album, Torches. But Mark Foster, Mark Pontius, and Cubbie Fink haven’t let it fully sink in yet — they’re just out to have some fun.

Torches delivers ten tracks of pumped electro-pop dance numbers just in time for Memorial Day pool parties, perfect for creating that fun, youthful and energetic sound that’ll get people dancing and keep them in a great mood. Though upbeat and energetic, the songs are full of personal struggles (“Helena Beat”), misdeeds (“Pumped Up Kicks” and “Warrant”), and hints of lost love (“Miss You” and “Waste”); this gives Mark Foster’s coaxing high-pitched voice a Pied Piper-like capability to charm us into following a conga line to our doom…or to another dip in the pool.

The full array of synth, omnichord, and vocal accompaniments provides nonstop stimulation and eartainment. The songs also work equally well stripped down to acoustics. Their sound tastefully mixes that Bee Gees disco high with an ‘80s hip hop swagger and punk attitude, and there’s a good dose of cool in every song, so you don’t have to get your strut on as you walk down the street blaring it in your ‘phones — you’ll just feel cool listening to these guys. Favorites for me include “Houdini,” “Waste,” “Life on the Nickel,” and “Warrant,” along with the released singles, because I love their beats and added chorus repetitions (something they do well without making it annoying).

Catch these guys in action on June 28th at The TLA.