History Music / FosterThePeople

They were originally called Foster & the People, but their name was eventually changed to its current state after people misheard it as such. Mark Foster liked it so much (due to its nurturing connotation of "curing the people") that [[ThrowItIn he just stuck with it]].

** "Pumped Up Kicks". Lyrics: A mentally troubled youth seriously contemplates murdering his peers with his father's gun. Video: Foster the People perform the song for an energetic crowd intercut with various videos of the band having fun in various places.

!!Tropes associated with '''Foster the People''':

The band rose to mainstream prominence off of the viral success of their BlackSheepHit "Pumped Up Kicks" in 2010, through which they received a record deal and opportunities to cultivate a fanbase through shows and appearances at music festivals. After the release of their debut album ''Torches'' the following year, "Pumped Up Kicks" became a crossover hit and eventually peaked at #3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

According to some, along with Music/{{Fun}}'s "We Are Young", the sudden ascent of "Pumped Up Kicks" is supposed to have either heralded the arrival of Generation Y's second phase or spelt the death knell of indie rock -- or both. Either way, {{hipster}}s everywhere were dismayed to hear "their" music get mainstream airplay. Considering the song is an upbeat composition with lyrics about the homicidal thoughts of a troubled youth (which is barely implicit once you really take a look at them), another main aspect of the song's legacy is it arguably being one of the most popular examples of LyricalDissonance of its time, especially on the Internet, where it was turned into the go-to song for [[MemeticMutation memes]] [[CrossesTheLineTwice about school shooters]].

Aside from several other singles from ''Torches'' being successful (including "Helena Beat", "Houdini", and "Call It What You Want"), the band has released several more albums and [=EPs=] in the years since, achieving noteworthy success again with the 2017 single "Sit Next to Me".

* AudienceParticipationSong: At live sets, the third-last chorus of "Pumped Up Kicks" is usually sung by the crowd.

* LyricalDissonance: "Pumped Up Kicks" is a upbeat, summery song (complete with a whistling hook)… about gun violence.
-->'''Foster:''' [[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/click-track/post/be-specific-foster-the-peoples-mark-foster-talks-about-pumped-up-kicks-a-sunny-and-violent-new-hit/2011/06/22/AGjf48fH_blog.html Yeah, can you imagine if I'd written "Pumped Up Kicks"]] [[MurderBallad as a ballad? It'd be the most depressing song ever.]]

* SomethingSomethingLeonardBernstein: "Pumped Up Kicks" is slightly guilty of it, with the distorted vocals on the verses difficult to pick out and the chorus more or less completely intelligible.

* "Music/BestFriend"

* ConceptVideo: "Helena Beat," "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)," "Houdini," "Pseudologia Fantastica," and "Music/BestFriend" all have narratives in their videos, and more often than not they have [[LyricsVideoMismatch nothing to do with the song itself]].

Foster the People is an American indie pop band from UsefulNotes/LosAngeles formed in 2009 and comprised of singer Mark Foster, guitarist Sean Cimino, and keyboardist Isom Innis.

They were originally called Foster & the People; their name was eventually changed to its current state after people misheard it as such. Mark Foster liked it so much (due to its nurturing connotation of "curing the people") that [[ThrowItIn he just stuck with it]].

!!!The band's members include:

!!!Former members
* Cubbie Fink - Bass (2009-2015)

!!!Discography:

According to some, along with Music/{{Fun}}'s "We Are Young", the sudden ascent of "Pumped Up Kicks" is supposed to have either heralded the arrival of Generation Y's second phase or spelt the death knell of indie rock -- or both. Either way, {{hipster}}s everywhere were dismayed to hear "their" music get mainstream airplay. Considering the song is an upbeat composition with lyrics about the homicidal thoughts of a troubled youth, another main aspect of the song's legacy is it arguably being one of the most popular examples of LyricalDissonance of its time, especially on the Internet, where it was turned into the go-to song for [[MemeticMutation memes]] [[CrossesTheLineTwice about school shooters]].

They were originally called Foster & the People; their name was eventually changed to its current state after people misheard it as such. Founding member Mark Foster liked it so much (due to its nurturing connotation of "curing the people"), [[ThrowItIn he just stuck with it]].

According to some, along with Music/{{Fun}}'s "We Are Young", the sudden ascent of the song is supposed to have either heralded the arrival of Generation Y's second phase or spelt the death knell of indie rock -- or both. Either way, {{hipster}}s everywhere were dismayed to hear "their" music get mainstream airplay. Considering the song is an upbeat composition with lyrics about the homicidal thoughts of a troubled youth, another main aspect of the song's legacy is it arguably being one of the most popular examples of LyricalDissonance of its time, especially on the Internet, where it was turned into the go-to song for [[MemeticMutation memes]] [[CrossesTheLineTwice about school shooters]].

Aside from several other singles from ''Torches'' being successful (including "Helena Beat", "Houdini", and "Call It What You Want"), the band has released several more albums and [=EPs=] in the years since, notably achieving success again with the 2017 single "Sit Next to Me".

According to some, along with Music/{{Fun}}'s "We Are Young", the sudden ascent of the song is supposed to have either heralded the arrival of Generation Y's second phase or spelt the death knell of indie rock -- or both. Either way, {{hipster}}s everywhere were dismayed to hear "their" music get mainstream airplay. Considering the song is an upbeat composition with lyrics about the homicidal thoughts of a troubled youth, another main aspect of the song's legacy is it arguably being one of the most recognizable examples of LyricalDissonance of its time, especially on the Internet, where it was turned into the go-to song for [[MemeticMutation memes]] [[CrossesTheLineTwice about school shooters]].

* Music/BestFriend

[[caption-width-right:349:(l-r) Mark Pontius, Mark Foster, Jacob "Cubbie" Fink]]

Foster the People is an American band from UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, formed in 2009. They were originally called Foster & the People; their name was eventually changed to its current state after people misheard it as such. Founding member Mark Foster liked it so much (due to its nurturing connotation of "curing the people"), [[ThrowItIn so he just stuck with it]].

Along with Music/{{Fun}}'s "We Are Young", the sudden ascent of their BlackSheepHit "Pumped Up Kicks" is supposed to have either heralded the arrival of Generation Y's second phase or spelt the death knell of indie rock. Or both. Either way, {{Hipster}}s everywhere were dismayed to hear "their" music get mainstream airplay.

* Mark Foster - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard
* Sean Cimino - Guitar (2017 - Present; Touring Member 2010 - 2017)
* Isom Innis - Keyboard, Piano (2017 - Present; Touring Member 2010 - 2017)

* Cubbie Fink - Bass (2009 - 2015)
* Mark Pontius - Drums (2009 - 2021)

* NoodlePeople: The model from "Best Friend" becomes one after she's eaten enough people. [[UncannyValley It understandably horrifies everyone present]].

* OneSteveLimit: Averted by Mark (Foster) and Mark (Pontius).
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Cubbie Fink.

* Mark Pontius - Drums

* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: Many people have a hard time describing the band's sound, and it's actually the subject of "Call It What You Want""
--> ''"You're taking your words and you take your judgements and stick 'em on to everything''
--> ''If it don't conform to what you were born into, then you run the other way''
--> ''You say now "what's your style" and "who do you listen to?" Who cares?"''

* AnimatedMusicVideo: "Pseudologia Fantastica"

* AlbumSingle: Five off of ''Torches'' (including "Pumped Up Kicks" and "Houdini"), four from ''Supermodel'', and three from both ''Sacred Hearts Club'' and the ''In the Darkest of Nights, Let the Birds Sing'' EP.

Foster the People is an American band from UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, formed in 2009. They were originally called Foster & the People; their name was eventually changed to its current state after people [[{{Mondegreen}} misheard it as such]]. Founding member Mark Foster liked it so much (due to its nurturing connotation of "curing the people"), [[ThrowItIn so he just stuck with it]].

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: ''Torches'' places pretty squarely around a 2-3, while ''Supermodel'' is mostly around 3-4, with "A Beginner's Guide to Destroying the Moon" and "Tabloid Super Junkie" treading a 5.
* MohsScaleOfLyricalHardness: Again rises between ''Torches'' and ''Supermodel'':
** ''Torches'': rests mostly from 1 ("Don't Stop," wall-to-wall fun and childlike imagery) to 5 ("Helena Beat," which, while being about drug addiction, is never overt enough to hit a higher rating).
*** The exception is "Pumped Up Kicks," which hits at ''least'' 7 due to its theme of homicide ([[TeenageDeathSongs toward minors, at that]]) and implied mental illness and the either [[ParentalNeglect neglectful]] or [[AbusiveParents abusive]] father of the narrator.
** ''Supermodel'': from 3 ("Coming of Age," slightly angsty but mostly just introspective) to 7 ("Pseudologia Fantastica," "You'd off yourself to save your reputation").
** ''Sacred Hearts Club'': from 3 ("I Love My Friends", a very ironic song but not in an outright aggressive manner) to 6 ("III" is mainly about death, but the topic is treated in a very light-hearted way, even referred to as "evolving into eternal life"), passing by 5 ("Lotus Eater", "Pay the Man", and "Static Space Lover")
*** "Loyal Like Sid and Nancy" is a 7, presenting several references to social movements, support to minorities and anti-Trump subtext.