Indie music has seen a steady growth all over the world ever since the rise (and fall) of MySpace, in what now seems like ages ago. The democratisation of technology due to the dropping costs of gadgets and the world wide web have given bedroom musicians a platform to get their music heard and become famous. And there has never been a better example of this phenomenon than Foster The People’s claim to fame.

The story of their success has been the stuff of teenage dreams. Struggling artist records a lo-fi demo. Emails it to a couple of friends, and boom! Internet virality magic. With its catchy synths, the sing-along chorus, the whistling you can’t get out of your head, the demo ruled the Internet and very soon after, ruled the airwaves. That demo was the hipster anthem of the year – Pumped Up Kicks.

It took only one song to get Foster The People, with Mark Foster and his two mates, Mark Pontius and Cubbie Fink, to be the next “it” band. But don’t go thinking that they’re some sort of one-hit-wonder. Because they’re not. Far from it.

Upon the release of their debut full-length album Torches, Foster The People gained major mainstream success with rave reviews, and spawning more hits such as Helena Beat, Call It What You Want and Houdini, which shot the album to the top of the charts, achieving certified gold status in the US, Canada and Australia.

Having been on tour since the release of Torches in March, the band’s popularity has brought the trio around the world, making their mark in countries like Sweden, Ireland, England and Belgium. And this January, they’re set to grace stages in Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore and of course, Malaysia.

The infectious psychedelic summer tunes might conjure up flashbacks of MGMT and their rise to stardom, but the similarities really end there, with both bands exploring different ends of the sound spectrum. Although, there’s no doubt that if you like one, you’re going to like the other.

You might be thinking, with all their mainstream success, Foster The People must be losing their hipster cred. But as Mark Foster accentuates on Call It What You Want: “Who cares?”

Foster The People
When: 13 January
Where: KL Convention Centre
Admission: RM98-RM188
Tickets: ticketpro.com.my; Rock Corner and Victoria Music Outlets