Click to listen to Foster the People's Torches
Like their super-obvious influence MGMT, this L.A. trio bridge disco elation and psych-pop escapism to take a "hipster"-identified sound onto the radio. Their hit single even has the word "kids" in the chorus: "Pumped Up Kicks" floats lyrics about a happy school shooter in on a slinky groove, misty guitar flange and delicious astral-wimp vocals. The rest of their debut is genre-juggling, bedroom-dance-floor magic cut with moody-boy lyrics (on the Bee Gees-worthy "Helena Beat," Mark Foster sings about taking "a sip of something poison" to escape "the prison I was living in"). It's derivative, sure, but the results pack more decadent kicks than a night out in John Travolta's Seventies pants.
Band to Watch: Foster the People's Pumped-up Psych-Pop
Gallery: Random Notes, Rock's Hottest Photos
