Torches (album) explained

Torches
Type:studio
Artist:Foster the People
Cover:Torches foster the people.jpg
Border:yes
Released:May 23, 2011
Recorded:2009–2011
Genre:
Label:
Producer:
Prev Title:Foster the People
Prev Year:2011
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Torches is the debut studio album by American indietronica band Foster the People, released on May 23, 2011, by Startime International and Columbia Records. In 2010, the group parlayed the popularity of frontman Mark Foster's song "Pumped Up Kicks" into a record deal with Startime International, and wrote the album to back the song's popularity. "Pumped Up Kicks" proved to be a sleeper hit; after receiving significant airplay on modern rock stations, the song crossed-over onto contemporary hit radio and became one of 2011's most popular songs. Four additional singles were released from the album: "Helena Beat", "Call It What You Want", "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)", and "Houdini", which had previously been released as a promotional single in the United Kingdom prior to the album's release.[2] [3] [4]

Torches received generally favorable reviews from critics and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. The record peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 in the US and number one on the ARIA Albums Chart in Australia. It has been certified platinum in Australia, the US,[5] [6] the Philippines, and Canada.[7]

The non-album single "I Would Do Anything for You" was featured on The Weather Channel's Local on the 8s segments during the early 2010's before all commercial music was phased-out in favor of their own, in-house compositions.

Background and recording

Not long after the band formed, frontman Mark Foster wrote and recorded the song "Pumped Up Kicks" while working as a jingle writer at Mophonics. The song proved to be the band's breakthrough in 2010, going viral,[8] earning the band a booking at the South by Southwest music festival in March 2010,[9] [10] and garnering attention from music industry professionals. Brent Kredel and Brett Williams were hired to co-manage the group and helped them obtain a record deal with Columbia Records imprint Startime International in May 2010.[11]

After the record deal was finalized, Kredel said, "The focus was to stop everything and not work on any marketing or touring, but to make an album that backed up 'Pumped Up Kicks.'" To avoid the band becoming overexposed, Startime allowed the group to pace themselves and not rush an album that would cash in on the popularity of the song. Isaac Green of Startime said, "You can't control everything, but you can be meticulous about the music." From July to September 2010, the group wrote new material that would appear on Torches, and they chose Paul Epworth, Rich Costey, Tony Hoffer and Greg Kurstin to co-produce the record with Mark Foster.[11]

Artwork

The cover artwork was designed by Young & Sick (formerly known as Japayork), a friend of Mark Foster's who was interested in doing illustrations for an album.[12] [13] The group's drummer Mark Pontius explained the origins of the artwork:[14]

Promotion

"Call It What You Want" was also used in the soundtrack of the football video game by EA Sports, FIFA 12. "Houdini" appears in the soundtrack to SSX. The song "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)" is prominently featured in two Nissan commercials titled "Headroom" and "Legroom."[15] [16] The song was also used in the soundtrack of the racing game Forza Horizon. The music video for "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)" was featured in stereoscopic 3D on the Nintendo 3DS's application Nintendo Video. Foster the People appeared as the musical guest on the October 8, 2011, episode of Saturday Night Live, playing "Pumped Up Kicks" and "Houdini". Kenny G appeared as a guest performer on the latter song.[17] [18]

Through the iTunes Store, the album is available with the bonus track "Broken Jaw" (which was released as a Record Store Day single limited to 1,000 copies). Best Buy features a CD with the bonus tracks "Love" and "Chin Music for the Unsuspecting Hero". Certain independent record stores included free remix EPs with the purchase of CD or vinyl.[19] In August 2021, Torches X (Deluxe Edition) was announced to mark the album's tenth anniversary. Released on November 12, 2021, it features a cover of "Pumped Up Kicks" by Gus Dapperton.[20]

Critical reception

Torches received generally favorable reviews. According to review aggregator website Metacritic, it received an average critic score of 69 out of 100, based on 20 reviews. AllMusic described the album as a "catchy, electro-lite dance-pop that fits nicely next to such contemporaries as MGMT and Phoenix." Rolling Stone said, "their debut is genre-juggling, bedroom-dance-floor magic cut with moody-boy lyrics". U2 guitarist The Edge singled Torches out as one of his favorite records, calling it "a very interesting new album. Very 21st century pop, but it's beautifully made and thrilling. You see, we're always interested in the new thing..."[21] Elton John also said that Torches was one of his favorites and one of the best albums of 2011.[22] Blue Öyster Cult guitarist Buck Dharma stated on That Metal Show that Torches was one of his favorite new albums.

The album was nominated for the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, while "Pumped Up Kicks" received a nomination for Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.[23]

Commercial performance

Torches debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 33,000 copies in the first week. On April 28, 2014, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of a million copies in the United States.[24]

Personnel

Foster the People
Additional musicians

Technical

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2011–2012)Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[25] 49
Polish Albums (OLiS)[26] 47
South Korean International Albums (Gaon)[27] 66

Year-end charts

Chart (2011)Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[28] 35
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[29] 42
UK Albums (OCC)[30] 142
US Billboard 200[31] 55
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[32] 8
Chart (2012)Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[33] 35
UK Albums (OCC)[34] 126
US Billboard 200[35] 61
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[36] 18

Decade-end-charts

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Torches. Collar, Matt. AllMusic.
  2. Web site: Foster The People – Torches (Columbia). Mace. Amanda. July 21, 2011. August 30, 2011. Addict Music. https://web.archive.org/web/20110724070447/http://www.addictmusic.co.uk/reviews/album-reviews/foster-the-people-%E2%80%93-torches-columbia/. July 24, 2011. dead.
  3. Web site: Houdini – Single . . 2011-08-31 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110828031835/http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/houdini-single/id428914215 . August 28, 2011 .
  4. Web site: Houdini: Foster the People: MP3 Downloads. Amazon.co.uk. 2011-08-31.
  5. Web site: Accreditations – 2012 Albums. ARIA. June 6, 2012.
  6. Web site: Gold & Platinum: Searchable Database. Recording Industry Association of America. June 6, 2012.
  7. Web site: Gold and Platinum Search: Foster the People. Music Canada. June 6, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120502114208/http://musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=&ica=False&sa=Foster%20the%20people&sl=&smt=0&sat=-1&ssb=Artist. May 2, 2012. mdy-all.
  8. Web site: Foster The People: An Outsider Anthem, A Viral Hit. NPR Music. NPR. May 26, 2011. August 14, 2011.
  9. Web site: Second Stage: Foster The People. NPR Music. NPR. Lindsay. Sanchez. 2010-07-15. 2012-02-27.
  10. Web site: Foster the People pumped up for all ages. Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media Group. Jill. Menze. 2011-06-09. 2012-05-22.
  11. Foster the People: How a Free Download Begat a Business. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Mitchell. Peters. October 3, 2011. November 15, 2011.
  12. Web site: Denimu. YOUNG & SICK DESIGN ALBUM ART FOR FOUR BILLBOARD NUMBER ONE RECORDS. Lost at E Minor.
  13. Web site: Young & Sick used to be Japayork. BrooklynVegan. Buzz Media. January 29, 2014. February 6, 2014.
  14. Web site: Tell Me About That Album: Torches by Foster the People. SeattleWeekly.com. Seattle Weekly, LLC. Dave. Lake. June 13, 2012. February 6, 2014.
  15. Web site: - YouTube. YouTube.
  16. Web site: - YouTube. YouTube.
  17. Web site: Saturday Night Live . Foster the People . October 2, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111010015839/http://www.fosterthepeople.com/us/news/saturday-night-live . October 10, 2011 .
  18. Web site: Potts. Kimberly. Ben Stiller, Anna Faris Hosting 'Saturday Night Live'. Reuters. October 2, 2011.
  19. Web site: Latest News The Official Foster the People Site . May 25, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110527161747/http://www.fosterthepeople.com/news/torches-is-available-now/ . May 27, 2011 . dead .
  20. 1422046094855266309. 'Torches X (Deluxe Edition)' will be out everywhere on November 12.. fosterthepeople. Mark. Foster. Mark Foster (singer). August 2, 2021.
  21. Web site: U2's Bono and The Edge play favorites with music and movie . Toronto.com . Torstar Media Group . Peter . Howell . November 25, 2011 . 2011-11-28 . unfit . https://web.archive.org/web/20130304053638/http://www.toronto.com/blog/post/705424--u2-s-bono-and-the-edge-play-favorites-with-music-and-movies . March 4, 2013 .
  22. Web site: Timmons . John . 2021-05-23 . We're pumped up that "Torches" from Foster The People turns 10 today! . 2022-10-28 . 91.9 WFPK Independent Louisville . en-US.
  23. Foster The People Receives Grammy® Nominations for 'Best Alternative Album' and 'Best Pop Duo/Group Performance'. PR Newswire. December 1, 2011. 2011-12-02.
  24. Web site: Gold & Platinum. Recording Industry Association of America.
  25. Web site: http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/540829/products/music/935861/1/. ja:トーチズ. Japanese. Oricon. August 19, 2014.
  26. Web site: Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS – Official Retail Sales Chart . . February 6, 2012 . February 4, 2012.
  27. Web site: Gaon Album Chart. Korean. Gaon Chart. August 19, 2014.
  28. Web site: ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Albums 2011. August 19, 2014.
  29. Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2011. Billboard. January 2, 2013. October 16, 2021.
  30. Web site: End of Year Chart 2011. ChartsPlus. October 16, 2021.
  31. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2011. Billboard. January 2, 2013. October 16, 2021.
  32. Rock Albums Year-End 2011. Billboard. November 22, 2012.
  33. Web site: ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Albums 2012. January 9, 2013.
  34. Web site: End of Year 2012. UKChartsPlus. October 16, 2021.
  35. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2012. Billboard. January 2, 2013. October 16, 2021.
  36. Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2012. Billboard. January 2, 2013. October 16, 2021.
  37. Decade-End Charts: Top Rock Albums. Billboard. October 31, 2019. December 1, 2020.