Hey kids, don”t try this at home. In the video for “Helena Beat,” the new single from Foster the People, a post-apocalyptic town run by young reprobates captures our band by using one of the oldest tricks in the world: placing a baby decoy in the middle of the road.
Then all manner of gritty, grim scenes follow: some funny, such as one of the tweens looking at a copy of “Playpen” magazine, others a little disturbing, like the ones with kids carrying around guns and then torture an older fellow by sending god-only-knows how many volts into his head turning him into a modern day Frankenstein. If your kids are mad at you, you might not want to let them watch this and get any ideas.
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The band”s Mark Foster told MTV.com that the Ace Norton-directed clip combines “Lord of the Flies” with “Mad Max,” which is the perfect description. It”s a visual feast and yet also disturbing.
And, oh yeah, there will be dancing, even though it”s possibly end of days, since this is Foster The People, who sound like a blend of MGMT”s trippy rock and Sweden”s Bjorn, Peter and John”s naive sweetness. Maybe not as much frolicking as in “Pumped Up Kicks,” but there will be.
Also, check out Foster The People remix of Lady Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory.”