Foster the People's sun-kissed, hook-filled debut made much more sense when front man Mark Foster outed himself as a former ad jingle writer.
Songs like Houdini and Don't Stop (Color on the Walls) were so drenched in synth riffs and hipster-pop choruses they became instantly likeable earworm candy.
So it's a surprise to see the trio rebel against type for a second album that contains little of what made 2011's Torches such a success.
"Is this the life you've been waiting for?" croons Foster on the introspective acoustics of Ask Yourself, a line typical of an album that chooses insular reinvention over pass-me-a-Corona-with-lime fun.
Yes, Coming of Age and Pseudologia Fantastica are cut from a cloth similar to Torches, but mostly Supermodel tries just a little too hard to be different.
