By William Hernandez
After a three-year layoff since their debut album, Foster the People returns with their second album “Supermodel,” coming out with a unique brand of acoustic heavy indie-rock.This album is not only an experiment, but also a testament to the band’s maturity growth as the record takes on a deeper and more passionate side. Lead singer and songwriter Mark Foster followed up with his unique flow of savvy lyrics by depicting a sad, yet beautiful story of society.
“Supermodel” contains a set of 11 songs, but lacks consistency in the flow. It starts with a pure modern indie-pop then shifts into alternative-rock mixed with keyboard play, and finishes with two unplugged-A capellas. The diverse collection of music sounds like a lot, but it actually creates a unique blend of sound that will keep listeners till the very end.Right off the bat in the opening song “Are You What You Want To Be,” front man Foster sets the tone for the title “Coming Of Age.”
“Coming of Age” is an uplifting and will have listeners moving their feet to the rhythm. Foster depicts a suppressed individual bottled up with pride and regrets, who still finds a way to move ahead by forgetting the past. The album confronts inner-emotional discomforts, but also ties in current events with “Nevermind,” which pertains to the effects of being dependent on war and capitalism.The sad and dark album takes a psychedelic leap in songs “Pseudologia Fantastica.” The song’s aura draws listeners in with its chiming chorus, live instruments and timely percussions.
The song itself is suppose to represent a war veteran who is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, and is quite contrary to the uplifting instrumentation which could have made way for a sensational jam. “Best Friend” is arguably the album’s best song. It has an “Torches”-esque tune that is reminiscent of the fun and dance-ready melody in the aforementioned previous album. The song’s theme touches on the classic close friend relationships and rocks out with an upbeat tune, using guitar riffs and a crazy collection of sounds.
But the album then shifts to a modern-pop sound of electronically synthesized percussions and drops, in “The Truth” and “A Beginner’s Guide To Destroying The Moon.” “Supermodel” lacks consistency in that it’s opening coming-of-age storyline and sounds echoed are different from the unplugged “Goats In Trees” and “Fire Escape.”
“Fire Escape” can make the listener feel as if they were hanging out with old companions, reminiscing on the night’s out spent in Hollywood.Foster’s new organic approach in the lyrics dawns a lot on the indie pop landscape and will appeal to music fans of the genre. The album was released March 14 and is available on iTunes.