In the years following Foster the People’s third studio album in 2017, Sacred Heart’s Club, during the height of the COVID pandemic, front man Mark Foster recalls wondering, “How can I make a record that is healing for me, and maybe for people who listen to it, too?” Now, seven years later, Foster the People is releasing its fourth full-length studio album, Paradise State of Mind, a cosmically hopeful and upbeat record heavily influenced by late 70s disco and early 80s New Wave. The album is not without its lyrical meditations on sadness and emotionally dark places, but overall, it’s a joyful blend of varied instrumentation, dance-floor beats, and catchy hooks. It’s all about balance – in life as in music. As Foster sings on the lead single, “Lost in Space,” amidst a double quartet of strings and Giorgio Moroder-inspired synths, “Love when I’m with you / a warm embrace / the more we give ourselves, the more we have to give away.” Continue reading “Album Review: Foster the People, “Paradise State of Mind””