Foster the People - Pumped up Kicks

Calling Foster the Peoples pop hit ‘Pumped up Kicks’ a Indie song is slightly ironic considering its huge international success; ‘Pumped up Kicks’ was by far one of the most played songs in 2011. Indie was originally a term use to describe ‘Independent’ bands; bands who independently recorded and released their own music. Foster the People are signed to Columbia Records – one of the biggest musical oligopolies around.

The song was written and recorded by frontman Mark Foster while he was working as a commercial jingle writer, and you can defiantly hear these influences in the repetitive chorus and upbeat composition. However, despite the songs deceptive pop sugar beat, lyrically it tackles dark themes as it describes a youth's homicidal thoughts of a killing spree.

The incredibly repetitive nature of the song is what first draws you in, and then it becomes its repellent as the song is played on commercials, in movies and not to mention across just about every radio station in every country. Being overplayed is hardly Foster the People’s fault, but to call these guys Indie or subversive is not only slightly off base, it completely undermines the effort of self produced bands struggling to make a name for themselves whilst retaining their individuality.

I give this a 2 ½ out of 5.