Foster The People- In The Darkest Of Nights, Let The Birds Sing

     I've found myself rooting for Foster The People throughout the majority of their career, despite not really caring about their work a lot of the time. I enjoy Pumped Up Kicks but I can't say that Torches aged that well, listening to it now, it really embodies majority of the annoying trends of millennial pop, it's kind of a time capsule in that way, sadly not one I wish to open any time soon. Their second album flopped, they briefly managed to reach the Bilboard 100 again with Sit Next To Me but never came anywhere close to the success of their early work. With their  new EP  the group works towards reinventing their sound and test new waters instead of trying to score another hit, which, considering the results, is a very correct direction.

        Opening Walk With A Big Stick isn't the strongest moment on the EP, it really begs for a stickier melody but makes up for it with its funky instrumentation and detailed production. It only gets better from here though. Cadillac starts out with a groovy bass-line and claps but as the track progresses we get some strings and group vocals that give me some LCD Soundsystem vibes. Lamb's Wool is probably the strongest cut on the record, the refrain is quite beautiful, there's a lovely piano melody and synth passage during the bridge. Marks vocals have improved noticeably since Torches, which is especially clear on this song, they are still eccentric but never cross a line and become annoying which happens quite a bit on the debut. The Things We Do is hands down the strangest cut on the EP, verses and refrain seem to have nothing to do with each other compositionally and the  vocal is very autotune heavy, especially towards the end. It's weird, maybe it's not good necessarly but definitely entertaining. Final track on the record, Your Heart Is My Home manages to be a pretty impactful closer, despite how short the project is. With each minute the song gets more and more stunning, with its synth instrumentation and a lovely keyboard outro.

      This EP is clearly a transition moment for Foster The People and with the material they delivered here I am really curious when the group will progress. It isn’t perfect but definitely shows a lot of promise.

RATING: 7/10