Foster the People are bringing their third record to Aussie shores
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Foster the People are bringing their third record to Aussie shores

“When we sit down and make a record, for us, we chase our instincts and follow our inspirations. We make music for the love of it and in doing that we have to follow and chase what we are 100 per cent passionate about.”

After commercially breaking through with their debut effort ‘Torches’ in 2011, Foster the People have returned with their unique third LP ‘Sacred Hearts Club,’ a “neo-psychadelia dance record” that has been in the works for three years now.

As explained by FTP’s newest addition Isom Innis (who has long paid his dues as a touring member of the band), Sacred Hearts Club stemmed from improvisation.

“When we first went into the studio in 2014, we just started improvising and really experimenting with the production and song writing in this record. We gave ourselves freedom by exploring ideas as far as they could possibly go… We weren’t conceptualising the sound before we made it, we were just kind of channelling,” he says.

“The three years that it took to make includes about a year and a half of experimenting and then about another year refining the ideas that we had captured. There is so much b-roll on this record, we have recorded about three albums worth of material and some of the stuff might end up on a record in the near future.”

Innis also elaborated how modern day hip-hop, in particular mumble rap, played a large influence on the beats and grooves he produced for the record.

“For us right now, hip-hop is the most inspiring genre because it’s a genre that refuses to be characterised and it pulls from so many different eras and sounds.

“I feel like beats in hip-hop are a certain form of hypnosis that can just encapsulate you in the rhythm. When you listen to a beat that makes you feel empowered or makes you want to dance, it takes you out of your head.”

Innis continues, reflecting on the process of songwriting; “I made a lot of the beats of the record and when I would show them to Mark, he would immediately respond musically. They would inspire certain melodies or chord progressions; it was great to get to spark his creativity through things I had produced.

“It was interesting as well because sometimes I would show him a beat and he would respond with the polar opposite of what I was expecting,” he explains. “One of my favourite examples is on ‘Loyal Like Syd and Nancy’, I showed him an atonal electric piece of music and he responded by writing almost an orchestral crescendo that became the bridge of the song.”

If you’re keen to catch the dance grooves of Foster The People live, they will be playing at this years Falls Festival, which adds another Australian Festival to their resume.

“We have done a few of the festivals; we have done Splendour In The Grass and Big Day Out so we are very eager to get over to Falls. We have been itching to get over to Australia this year. It’s one of our favourite places in the world to tour!”

When & Where: Falls Festival, Lorne – December 28 – 31 & Forum Theatre, Melbourne – January 4

Written by Alex Callan