It is a wonder that Foster the People’s Torches became a sensation when it was released in 2011. The popularity of the album was buoyed by “Pumped Up Kicks,” a song about a school shooting. At the time of the release, school shootings began to skyrocket throughout the country, and it’s a wonder that there wasn’t a collective boycott of the entire record.

And yet, there wasn’t, and I’m thankful for that–I would have never heard the album otherwise, and it is good.

Torches is also remarkable in how closely it fit the Zeitgeist of 2011-12: the sounds here were echoed across the music industry. I associate Foster the People’s work with Fleet Foxes, fun., and Gotye–all of whom, miraculously, seemed to fall off the map after their moment of fame.

The songs here wouldn’t hold up today, but they are great for getting the sense of a cultural moment.