Paradise State of Mind is the fourth studio album by American indie pop band Foster the People, released on August 16, 2024, by Atlantic Records, their first under the label. It is the band's first studio album in over seven years since the release of Sacred Hearts Club in 2017, although they released an EP and a number of non-album singles between 2018 and 2021.
The album is primarily influenced by the musical landscape of the late 1970s with elements of disco, funk, gospel, and jazz, with songwriting inspired by such cultural events as the COVID-19 pandemic. Some themes explored through the album's lyrics include technology, mortality, time, self-reflection and optimism. Foster has stated his fascination with the music of the 1970s decade contrasted with the political, social and cultural changes of that time, drawing a parallel between the 1970s and the 2020s. It is also more of an analog record with less use of digital sounds and instrumentation compared to their previous albums.
The first single, disco-toned "Lost in Space", was released on May 31, 2024. The second single "Take Me Back" was released on June 28, 2024.
Foster the People has a new album out, pretty good! Torches, their debut, is one of my favs, and I’ve enjoyed some of their later work too. This one definitely sounds like FtP, though I think there’s a little more brass and other jazzy sounds being pulled in. I haven’t listened enough to have any album picks yet.
Have you listened yet? What tracks did you like best? What’s your favorite FtP song?
