Review Summary: Foster the People's coming of age is both their greatest strength and weakness.
Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks" might have just been one of the biggest indie pop songs of all time in terms of pop crossover success. Coming out a year before Gotye and fun, had their chart toppers, the band’s debut album
Torches was slightly disappointing because all of its highlights already existed on their eponymous EP. While their slightly heavier (and less well-known) counterparts Young the Giant may have been able to escape a sophomore slump, an underwhelming lead single in the form of “Coming of Age” quelled most of my interest for
Supermodel. Its monotonous vocals, tedious chorus and lack of a hook pretty much sealed Foster the People’s fates as a one-album wonder, and with that, all hope of a good second album was crushed by the power of a weak first single.
But, of course, there are still ten other songs on the album, and some of these ten songs surprised me with their quality. Rousing opener “Are You What You Want to Be” features some of the band’s best songwriting to date, driven by its infectious hook, melodic vocal harmonies and
actual electric guitars. Along with the dreamy “Ask Yourself”,
Supermodel’s one-two punch boasts some of Foster the People’s strongest songs and maybe even started off the album a little bit too well. The guitar solo on the latter is a nice little unexpected treat, as these two songs show off a “heavier” side to the band that was absent from
Torches. The change in sound isn’t too drastic, but it does show that Foster the People can break away from the stereotypical indie pop sound when they want to. Even “Coming of Age” exhibits some of these traits; its mediocrity is the result of promising verses building up into an unmemorable chorus. Luckily, “The Beginner’s Guide to Destroying the Moon” shows off a unique side to the band – the track’s electric riffs and drum fills display a more ‘grungier’ side of the band. Musical bliss is achieved when Mark Foster cries out “The blood of the forgotten wasn’t spilled without a purpose” over Cubbie Fink’s groovy bassline - one that is used more prominently on this track than any other.
As a band, Foster the People suffer the most when they lack the energy they need to thrive, and on
Supermodel, the absence of enthusiasm is scattered around different styles. From the MGMT-influenced “Pseudologia Fantastica” to the
Torches-style “Best Friend”, most of the album’s weakest songs are located in its middle segment. After starting out with such a bang, the record’s emotion quickly takes a nosedive from 100 to 0. The psychedelia of the former is ruined by Foster’s lifeless vocals, devoid of any energy at all, which is a shame because its instrumentation isn’t all too bad. The acoustic “Ghosts and Trees” should have been a breath of fresh air coming after the rockin’ “A Beginner’s Guide to Destroying the Moon”, but Foster’s hollow low-register singing lets the backing band down yet again, especially when its concept is executed so much better in
Supermodel’s closer, “Fire Escape”. An ode to the short shelf life of Hollywood celebrities, the song’s passionate vocal delivery, heartfelt acoustic strums and haunting background chants showcase a darker, more emotive sound that needed to be captured more.
The fact that Foster the People chose not to make
Supermodel the second coming of
Torches shows a newfound sense of maturity, one that saw them exploring subject matters such as drug addiction, the role of celebrities in popular society and anti-authoritarian rebellion. Unfortunately, the branching out into new genres shows both the band’s strengths and weaknesses, as some experiments produce quality material, while others provide a sufficient naptime soundtrack. Although
Supermodel may not be the disastrous sophomore slump some had predicted, it doesn’t feel as energetic and vibrant as
Torches was. The stretch of songs from “Coming of Age” to “Best Friend” feel so lifeless and empty of emotion, something that album highlights “Fire Escape” and “Are You What You Want to Be” had. At the end of day,
Supermodel is a mixed bag of heartfelt, upbeat, semi-heavy indie pop tunes and numbingly dull voyeurs into new territory. It’s not quite the coming of age that Foster the People needed to retain their good graces.
