“All the other kids with the pumped up kicks, you better run, better run, outrun my gun. All the other kids with the pumped up kicks, you better run, better run, faster than my bullet.” I’m sure by now; the majority of us have heard this song. It appeared on the radio one day this summer, and suddenly became one of those summer anthems. Word about this song spread quickly and soon, an enormous amount of us were hooked. So, who is the mastermind behind this masterpiece?

Foster the People released ‘Pumped up Kicks’ on September 14, 2010. For those of you who don’t know them, Foster the People is a new indie pop/rock band that emerged in early 2010. Foster the People is made up of Mark Foster (Lead Singer), Mark Pontius (Drummer), and Cubbie Fink (Bassist).

The song starts off with the lyrics, “Robert’s got a quick hand. He’ll look around the room, he won’t tell you his plan. He’s got a rolled cigarette. Hanging out his mouth, he’s a cowboy kid. He found a six shooter gun.” The lyrics bring such suspension to the listener. When the song finally hits it’s turning point, the lyrics are as follow, “I’ve waited for a long time. The slight of my hand is now a quick pull trigger. I reason with my cigarette, and say your hairs on fire. You must have lost your wits.”

Some say the lyrics are strange; others say it’s pure creativity. According to www.Spinner.com Mark Foster says, “Pumped up Kicks is about a kid that basically is losing his mind and is plotting revenge. He’s an outcast. I feel the youth in our culture are becoming more and more isolated. It’s kind of an epidemic. Instead of writing about victims and some tragedy, I wanted to get into the killer’s mind like Truman Capote did in ‘In Cold Blood.’ I love to write about characters. That’s my style. I really like to get inside the heads of other people and try to walk in their shoes.

Captivating story, right? Okay, some of you might think so; but Foster The People is a growing phenomenon. They have other songs out such as ‘Helena Beat,’ ‘Waste,’ ‘Houdini,’ and ‘Color on the Walls (Don’t Stop)’. You can find all these songs and more on their album ‘Torches’ and their EP.