Torches

It’s a strange time for music when one song can blow up so big that the accompanying album almost seems immaterial, but that’s playlist culture for you. Having exploded onto the scene with the seemingly ubiquitous ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ late last year, Los Angeles trio Foster The People arguably have something of a point to prove, and apparently they’re a little pissed off about it.

On the surface, Torches is a collection of bright and breezy songs for you to nod your head and tap your foot to, but underneath its cheery exterior lies some serious resentment, as evidenced by Mark Foster’s spiky lyrics. ‘Helena Beat’ appears bouncy enough, until you hear lines like “I’m dodging calls/Hug the prison I’ve been living in”. Same goes for the aforementioned ‘…Kicks’, its violent posturing (“You better run, better run, faster than my bullet”) masked by an impossibly infectious groove.

This juxtaposition is a recurring theme throughout, with the KC And The Sunshine Band-flavoured ‘Call It What You Want’ finding Foster in especially petty form, whining about labels and boasting that, “We have nothing to prove”. Such unabashed arrogance only serves to raise more questions than answers.

Is it a commentary on a fickle society? A calculated experiment? An unwise attempt to recreate the failed career of The New Radicals? Make no mistake, Torches may be one of the most catchy and hummable records you’ll hear all year (‘Houdini’ will live in your head for weeks), but you can’t help but wonder if you’re the punchline of some elaborate joke.