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Foster the People - Sacred Hearts Club (Columbia Records)
Released: July 21st, 2017
Foster The People is back with their third studio release, Sacred Hearts Club. Formed back in 2008, this group contained three primary members: Mark Foster, Mark Pontius and Cubbie Fink. Made popular after their breakout single "Pumped Up Kicks", Foster the People has been on the indie-pop/alt-pop wave for a little while. Their debut album Torches was released in 2010 as well as their sophomore effort Supermodel in 2014. Their sound is very danceable while still containing elements of alternative rock. The distinct vocal from lead singer Mark Foster and ability to mash genres make them a standout within their own musical arena.
As of late 2015, bass player and original member Cubbie Fink left the band in order to pursue other interests. They added their touring keyboard player Isom Innis and touring guitar player Sean Cimino into the band.
Prior to the full release, Foster The People gave their listeners a short EP titled III, which contained three songs that would later be featured on the album. "Pay The Man" is the first song on both the EP and the album, which is this modern hip-hop influenced and indie-pop tune. The very quick and rattling hi-hats along with the percussion throughout provide that hip-hop vibe. The verses give of this feeling of mystery or suspense, but that eventually changes when the chorus arrives, opening up the instrumentation. The strange vocal samples throughout the track are a nice touch.
The second song "Doing It For The Money", which is co-produced by OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder, is a very unique track. The instrumentation during the verses emote a somewhat eerie feeling while the chorus is very anthemic and poppy. I enjoy the verses and the pre-chorus, but I'm not too interested in the chorus. It honestly sounds just like a weird version of a OneRepublic song.
The last one from the III EP is "SHC" (assumably the abbreviation for Sacred Hearts Club) which is a track that I thought would have fit perfectly on their last album Supermodel. Specifically because I thought the general sonics on this song and the overall guitar sections were very similar to those off of their last album.
Other standouts from the album include "Sit Next to Me", "I Love My Friends", "Static Space Lover" and "Loyal Like Sid & Nancy". My favorite on the album "Sit Next to Me" is a very catchy alt-pop track. I love the very spacious synth work along with the straightforward drum pattern, which allows the song to breathe easily. The chorus expands the track nicely and is extremely infectious. The whole section is addicting to sing and hum to. Fantastic song.
"I Love My Friends" is a groovy track. The fluid and driving bass line combine with the punchy kick drum and claps effortlessly. The song is very laid-back but it still contains an airy and wide chorus. I also love the addition of the sunny guitar work during the chorus and later on throughout track.
The catchy drum pattern and the Jena Malone vocal feature are two facets from "Static Space Lover". It starts of so smooth with a very beautiful piano melody upfront and some guitar in the background. I really enjoy the chorus on this song. Foster uses his vocal strengths perfectly in order to make it simple and catchy. His voice and Malone's go together well and don't make the collaboration awkward or uncomfortable, at all. I think the instrumentation throughout this track is actually really well done and well put-together.
"Loyal Like Sid & Nancy" is a curveball from Foster the People. Some sections of the song sound like a hip-hop track while others sound like they could easily be played at an underground nightclub. Again, we see hip-hop influenced drums and percussion lead the way. Hard hitting 808's along with some strange synth patches and vocal samples are all over this thing. The drops right after "Hey man, get away from me!" at 0:52 and 2:46 are not only very house influenced, but they extremely heavy, full and thick. I am weirdly obsessed with the verse prior to the second drop. Mark Foster's cadence and vocal build up just creates a deeply creepy and disturbing vibe, which he delivers so well. Ironically the song closes with nothing but a piano melody.
I thought "Lotus Eater" was okay. It's basically an attempt at an alt-pop/punk song, which doesn't turn out horrible but it's nothing that'll turn heads. "Harden the Paint" is another heavily hip-hop influenced track. I'm not a big fan of this one because I feel like it's very flat and static. Nothing is surprising or interesting throughout the song, you pretty much know what's gonna happen. The closer "III" is a piano ballad that builds into a very simple and straightforward track. This song does have some pretty sections, but again it's nothing that'll turn heads.
Overall, I thought this album wasn't bad. It contained multiple tracks that I truly enjoyed and it only had a few I didn't like. This album includes some straightforward pop tunes but it also contains some more alternative based tracks, which allows this album to reach different audiences. Foster the People took a new direction on this album and I think it played in their favor. The hip-hop and nocturnal instrumentation turned out nicely on many songs while their original, but maturing, alternative-pop sound followed through on others. Listen below...
Listen:
Genre: Alternative/Alt-Pop/Pop/Indie-Rock/Indie-Pop/Electronic-Pop
Rating: 6/10
Fav Songs: Pay the Man, Sit Next to Me, I Love My Friends, Static Space Lover, Loyal Like Sid & Nancy
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