Orem, Utah’s alternative pop collective Foreign Figures – comprised of Eric Michels (vocals), Steve Michels (drums), Seth Dunshee (bass), and Jonny Tanner (guitar) – is riding high off the buzz from their recently released Paradigm. There’s no use in asking questions as to why, as the twelve track album is absolutely phenomenal and, for the most part, speaks for itself. But we’ll go ahead and do some speaking on it as well.
It steadily flows like the score to an epic movie, “(Panorama)” setting the instrumental stage at the beginning for the rest of what’s to come. (Are we going for a strong, Lion King vibe here? Because WOW.) As soon as “Vertigo” begins, you realize that Foreign Figures is destined for a greatness bigger than what they may have expected. Michels’ explosive vocals are enough to rattle your heart inside your rib cage, and we can do nothing less than envision dancing to this song at a big arena show. It’s not until “Fire” that we notice a slight similarity between these guys and OneRepublic, and we’re big proponents of holding that commanding aspect in the sound space.
The album continues in much the same vein, each track just as compelling as the last. “Alarmed” is a call to arms for humankind, “Fearless” gives you all the confidence you need to take on your day – wrapped in an 80’s synth dream wave – and the percussion in “Outlier” is enough to make you go dizzy. The title track is more pop than rock, and the composition gives us unmistakable throwback feels to Angels & Airwaves’ “The Adventure”. But our favorite track is “Seasons”, if not only for its quick departure from the resounding, imposing sound for a slower tempo and hazy, stunning vocals.
We recommend adding some Foreign Figures to your new “jamming out in the car” playlist. Trust us, Paradigm is insane. Check it out for yourself below.
