Supermodel – Foster The People

Year	Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
2014	Supermodel	Foster The People	★★★½	71	Rock	Indie Pop

Supermodel might not have the hits that Foster the People’s seminal 2011 debut Torches had, but I think it’s actually a deeper, more rounded record overall that shows maturity beyond the bright, childish, hyper catchy, electronic indie pop the band was first known for. 

There are still catchy pop hooks on a number of songs here with sing-along passages, and the groovy syncopations and drums on “Best Friend” and  “Are You What You Want To Be?” will make you want to dance. Overall though, the band incorporates more straight rock techniques here. There are more quick, live drums, there’s a lot of guitar — both acoustic and electric — and much more dynamics, emotion and varying tempos. The indie pop elements don’t often steal the show, but come in to provide a glossy finish with arpeggiated, almost psychedelic synths, light keyboards and piano. 

“Pseudologia Fantastica” and “A Beginner’s Guide to Destroying the Moon” — the latter of which doubled as a beat on A$AP Rocky’s 2013 commercial debut Long. Live. A$AP — both are pretty intense rock songs that use some heavier synths to add to the noise. “Ask Yourself” is a quick acoustic guitar-driven song that, even with a pretty showy chorus, is more contemplative and serious in tone compared to anything on Torches. “Nevermind” and  “Goats In Trees,” are these slow but kind of on edge acoustic tracks with distant guitar sustains and light dream-pop keys that come in and out. 

The most synthetic song on here is probably “The Truth,” which has a deep, electronic synth that rumbles throughout in tempo and leads to this big, grand finale with lead singer Mark Foster bounding between a light falsettos and lower register as he’s surrounded by soaring computer chirps and blunt piano chords. That contrasts perfectly with the last track, “Fire Escape,” which I think is the band’s best song. It’s a soft, entirely acoustic guitar ballad with this repeated, gentle riff and simple, heartfelt lyrics. The best part is these light keyboard hits, cold bells and occasional backing vocals that add just enough texture and color to make the song’s emotion shine through. It does a great job of closing the album out in a really unexpected way.  

I know Torches set the bar for a lot of the indie pop movement in the early 2010s, with its crossover pop radio hits and warm, quirky additions. Even I go back to it much more frequently than I do Supermodel, because the nostalgia factor just transports me back to being in college and sitting by the poolside with “Helena Beat” or “Don’t Stop” blasting. 

But I think this 2014 release was unfairly panned when it came out because it wasn’t as intoxicatingly fun or warm as fans were probably expecting. Critics were also looking for reasons to dismiss indie pop as the genre grew stale and more generic over time. Maybe it’s not the most groundbreaking record, but Supermodel is an easy listen with a big payoff at the end and a lot of fun along the way.