#SummerJams

The summer is upon us!

Time to get a fresh play-list going for road-trips, barbeques, and beach days.  Luckily, there have been some great records released lately, so there’s plenty of fun new music to set the mood for all sorts of summer shenanigans.

If you’ve heard Foster the People, the new hot band out of the LA rock scene, it was most likely their hit single Pumped up Kicks.  It’s all over the radio on the West Coast, and is the title track to their EP:



They're sound is synth-based pop-rock, like a slightly more mellow MGMT or Passion Pit.  Great dance-jams for sure:



They just released their first full-length album, Torches, less than 2 weeks ago ($9.99 on iTunes), and played Jimmy Kimmel Live.  They were at South by Southwest and Coachella this spring and will be at Lollapalooza and Outside Lands later this summer.  I've got them on regular rotation in my car right now; the whole album is upbeat and fun and very well-produced.

And they are playing in Boston, June 16, at the WFNX Clam Bake at House of Blues, with Cold War Kids and The Naked and Famous.  Definitely worth checking out.

--Disclaimer: I am about to sound like a total Hipster-- I saw them for free at one of my favorite venues the night before they released their EP. They totally rocked: great stage presence and dance vibe. Two weeks later they were on the radio and selling out all of their LA shows. --End Hipster tangent--

I’ve got a few more new albums on my iPod right now, so I’ll post another recommendation soon.  For now, enjoy Foster the People!

-DMc, West Coast Correspondent