Paradise State of Mind

2024 studio album by Foster the People
Paradise State of Mind
Studio album by
Foster the People
ReleasedAugust 16, 2024 (2024-08-16)
Recorded2022–2024
Studio
  • EastWest, Hollywood, Los Angeles[1]
  • The Church, London, England[1]
Length43:37
LabelAtlantic
Producer
  • Chrome Sparks
  • Paul Epworth
  • Mark Foster
  • Isom Innis
Foster the People chronology
In the Darkest of Nights, Let the Birds Sing
(2020)
Paradise State of Mind
(2024)
Singles from Paradise State of Mind
  1. "Lost in Space"
    Released: May 31, 2024
  2. "Take Me Back"
    Released: June 28, 2024
  3. "Chasing Low Vibrations"
    Released: July 26, 2024

Paradise State of Mind is the fourth studio album by American indie pop band Foster the People, released on August 16, 2024, by Atlantic Records, their first under the label.[2] It is the band's first studio album in over seven years since the release of Sacred Hearts Club in 2017, although they released an EP and a number of non-album singles between 2018 and 2021.

The album is primarily influenced by the musical landscape of the late 1970s with elements of disco, funk, gospel, and jazz,[3] with songwriting inspired by such cultural events as the COVID-19 pandemic. Some themes explored through the album's lyrics include technology, mortality, time, self-reflection and optimism. Foster has stated his fascination with the music of the 1970s decade contrasted with the political, social and cultural changes of that time, drawing a parallel between the 1970s and the 2020s. It is also more of an analog record with less use of digital sounds and instrumentation compared to their previous albums.[1]

The first single, disco-toned "Lost in Space", was released on May 31, 2024.[4] The second single "Take Me Back" was released on June 28, 2024. The third single "Chasing Low Vibrations" was released on July 26, 2024. It is the band's first album not to feature their drummer Mark Pontius after his departure from the band in October 2021.[5] It is also the band's final album to feature guitarist Sean Cimino as he departed from the band three months before the album's release.[2]

The album has received primarily positive reviews with a Metacritic score of 79, with critics and fans praising the experimentation with popular music genres of the past and the quality of the production. It debuted at #8 on the Billboard Top Album sales, selling 7000 copies during its first week.

Track listing

Paradise State of Mind track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."See You in the Afterlife"
Foster3:09
2."Lost in Space"
  • Foster
  • Innis
4:19
3."Take Me Back"
  • Foster
  • Innis
  • Foster
  • Innis
2:32
4."Let Go"Foster4:34
5."Feed Me"
  • Foster
  • Innis
3:40
6."Paradise State of Mind"
  • Epworth
  • Foster[c]
4:48
7."Glitchzig"FosterFoster5:28
8."The Holy Shangri-La"
  • Epworth
  • Foster[c]
4:13
9."Sometimes I Wanna Be Bad"FosterFoster3:03
10."Chasing Low Vibrations"
  • Foster
  • Innis
  • Jeremy Malvin
  • Foster
  • Chrome Sparks
3:24
11."A Diamond to Be Born"
  • Foster
  • Innis
4:25
Total length:43:37
Paradise State of Mind Japanese edition
No.TitleLength
12."Rabies Shmabies"4:20
Total length:47:57

Note

  • ^[c] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer

Personnel

Foster the People

  • Mark Foster – lead vocals (all tracks), synthesizer (tracks 1–10); guitar, piano (1–9); bass (1–3, 6–10), drums (2, 4), engineering (2), percussion (3, 7)
  • Isom Innis – synthesizer (tracks 1, 3, 5, 11), engineering (2, 11), drums (3, 7, 10, 11), programming (5, 10), piano (11)
  • Sean Cimino – guitar (tracks 1, 5, 7, 9, 10), synthesizer (5, 7, 10, 11), programming (5), slide guitar (9)

Additional musicians

  • Paul Jacob Cartwright – concert master (tracks 1–5, 8, 11)
  • Vanessa Freebairn-Smithcello (tracks 1–5, 8, 11)
  • Alyssa Park – violin (tracks 1–5, 8, 11)
  • Andrew Duckles – violin (tracks 1–5, 8, 11)
  • Ina Veli – violin (tracks 1–5, 8, 11)
  • Kerenza Peacock – violin (tracks 1–5, 8, 11)
  • Luanne Homzy – violin (tracks 1–5, 8, 11)
  • Paul Jacob Cartwright – violin (tracks 1–5, 8, 11)
  • Zach Dellinger – violin (tracks 1–5, 8, 11)
  • Riley MacIntyre – programming (tracks 1, 8)
  • Lily Kershaw – backing vocals (tracks 2, 4, 9)
  • Jherek Bischoffdouble bass (tracks 4, 5, 11)
  • Jacob Scesney – Western concert flute (tracks 5, 9); baritone vocals, bass saxophone, tenor vocals (9)
  • Paul Epworth – synthesizer (tracks 6, 8); backing vocals, drums (6)
  • Jack Peñate – backing vocals, guitar, programming (track 6)
  • Nikolaj Torp Larsen – organ, piano, synthesizer (track 6)
  • Stewart Cole – trumpet (tracks 7, 9); chant vocals, synthesizer (7); baritone horn, flugelhorn (9)
  • Aaron Redfield – drums (track 9)
  • Jeremy Malvin – bass, programming, synthesizer (track 10)

Technical

  • Mike Bozzi – mastering
  • Rich Costey – mixing
  • Chaz Sexton – engineering (tracks 1–5, 7–11)
  • Patrick Ford – engineering (tracks 1–5, 7–11)
  • Riley MacIntyre – engineering (tracks 1, 4, 6, 8)
  • Luke Pickering – engineering (tracks 6, 8)
  • Jherek Bischoff – string arrangement (tracks 1–5, 8, 11)
  • Mayumi Heider – engineering assistance (tracks 1–5, 8, 11)

Charts

Chart performance for Paradise State of Mind
Chart (2024) Peak
position
French Physical Albums (SNEP)[6] 163
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[7] 25
Scottish Albums (OCC)[8] 52
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[9] 34
US Billboard 200[10] 170
US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)[11] 43

References

  1. ^ a b c Moayeri, Lily (August 12, 2024). "Mark Foster Talks Filling 'the Well Back Up With Life' to Create Art". Spin. Archived from the original on August 12, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Zemler, Emily (May 31, 2024). "Foster the People Preview New Album With '70s-Inspired Single 'Lost in Space'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  3. ^ Williams, Lana (August 16, 2024). "Paradise State of Mind is a refreshing offering from Foster The People". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  4. ^ Siroky, Mary (May 31, 2024). "Foster the People Announce New Album Paradise State of Mind, Share "Lost In Space:" Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  5. ^ Gallagher, Alex (October 14, 2021). "Foster the People drummer Mark Pontius exits band after over a decade". NME. Archived from the original on April 4, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  6. ^ "Top Albums Physiques - SNEP". SNEP. August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  7. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2024. 34. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  8. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  9. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  10. ^ "Foster the People Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  11. ^ "Foster the People Chart History: Top Rock & Alternative Albums". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  • v
  • t
  • e
  • Mark Foster
  • Isom Innis
Studio albums
EPsSingles
Featured singles
  • "Ride or Die"
  • "All About You"
Related articles
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
  • MusicBrainz release group


Stub icon

This 2020s album–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  • v
  • t
  • e