Artist
Foster the People
Formed in Los Angeles, USA, 2009 4 studio albums 1 dive so far
Most people met Foster the People through a whistle. “Pumped Up Kicks” was everywhere in 2011, and for a lot of listeners it’s still the whole story. It isn’t.
The band came together in Los Angeles in 2009, built around Mark Foster, who was writing commercial jingles for a living and songs for himself on the side. One of those songs got out, got big, and pulled a full band into the spotlight behind it. That’s a strange way to start: known by millions before most people could name you.
What they did next was refuse to coast on it. Torches arrived in 2011 and went platinum. Supermodel followed in 2014, darker and more restless, the sound of a band trying to be more than one song. Sacred Hearts Club in 2017 leaned into color and groove. Then a long quiet, broken in 2024 by Paradise State of Mind.
Four albums, thirteen years, one inescapable hit they’ve spent the rest of their career complicating. Foster the People are easy to file under that whistle and leave there. The dives here are an argument for not doing that.
The studio albums
The whole studio run. Dived albums are lit and clickable.
1 of 4 divedDives first, then newest to oldest.
The newsletter
Follow the dives
New dives into Foster the People and beyond, one fact at a time. The thing that changes the song, in your inbox.
No spam, unsubscribe anytime.