Which alternative rock band sings "Pumped Up Kicks"?

The alternative rock band that sings “Pumped Up Kicks” is Foster the People.

The song was written and recorded by frontman Mark Foster in 2009 while he was working as a commercial jingle writer in Los Angeles. He reportedly completed the original demo in about five hours, playing and arranging the instruments himself. That demo became the released recording, first appearing in 2010 before being included on the band’s debut album, Torches, in 2011.

“Pumped Up Kicks” became Foster the People’s breakthrough hit after spreading online and receiving radio play. Its bright, whistled melody contrasts sharply with lyrics narrated by a troubled youth contemplating gun violence. The song was intended to raise awareness of isolation and mental illness, not celebrate violence. The title refers both to fashionable shoes and to Reebok Pump sneakers popular among young people.

A common mix-up is confusing the song’s cheerful sound with its lyrical subject. Foster the People is also sometimes described as indie pop or psychedelic pop, but the track is frequently classified within alternative rock and alternative pop.