Foster the People's playfully dark hit Pumped Up Kicks won over the world when the band was in its infancy. A viral single so early into a career is a hard act to follow and, six years on, Foster the People still haven't quite worked out how to do that.
Sacred Hearts Club, their third album, has a number of great moments and strong ideas - but there's a lack of synergy between the different elements that ultimately leaves the record feeling tired and monotonous.
Sacred Hearts Club sheds most of what used to make Foster the People seem fresh, instead falling into the weary, uninspiring trap of using EDM and hip-hop influences as many a pop-rock band has chosen to do before them (Fall Out Boy, Coldplay).
Foster the People always knew how to write good pop, but their decision to follow this road on Sacred Hearts leaves their songs waterlogged by heavy, often abrasive production - despite the fact that the album was mastered three times in an effort to stay concise.
