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Foster the People will have to come up with a really good excuse if they’re ever planning to miss a show after their new video for "Houdini". The video for their fifth single from the album Torches opens with the whole band getting crushed by a lighting rig during a music video shoot, and the outlook is not so good.

 

Obviously saving the show is the most important thing to do in this type of catastrophic scenario, so the deceased boys are subsequently dressed up and used like marionettes by a crew dressed to blend into the background. When this doesn’t quite produce the desired effect they had in mind, they just turn the band members into cyborgs instead. Or something like that. Whatever they are, by the end of the successful show that is pulled off, they are depleted of their life force and lay listless in the corner of a party while celebration and confetti rain down around them.

 

 

 

Everyone needs a break sometimes, right? FTP has exploded in popularity since “Pumped Up Kicks” first gained viral attention in 2010. Even after the song was getting crossover attention from all sides, venues were hesitant to book the group who had little to no live performance experience together, but snagging a Coachella spot in 2011 helped turn that around real quick. Mark Foster clearly has a knack for creating catchy tunes; he worked as a commercial jingle writer before starting the band with Mark Pontius and Cubbie Fink, and, interestingly, half of the songs on Torches are licensed for use in TV shows and commercials. Perhaps Mark is heeding his own lyrical advice: “Focus on your ability”.

 

"Houdini"’s video release comes to us one month before the band will kick off their summer tour on May 29. Stops include Bonnaroo and some performance time in New York’s Central Park. They will also link up with the Beach Boys at some point for a reunion after their performance together at the Grammys this year.

 

 

- Kate Ferguson, YH Staff