Foster The People - Helena Beat

What this video is

Released July 18, 2011 as the second single from Foster The People's debut album Torches (Columbia Records, May 23, 2011), 'Helena Beat' arrived in the immediate wake of 'Pumped Up Kicks' turning the Los Angeles trio into one of the defining breakout acts of the indie pop moment. The song was written to embody the nonchalant self-destructive attitude of Hollywood's drug culture, and the video transposes that…

Why it matters

Helena Beat is a canonical document of 2011 indietronica and alternative pop crossover aesthetics: synth-driven, hook-forward production by Greg Kurstin blending indie rock instrumentation with electronic programming at 127 BPM in F minor. The video's dystopian narrative approach pushed the…

The director

Ace Norton is an Asian American filmmaker born and raised in Venice, California. A third-generation filmmaker, he attended the University of Southern California's film production program and co-founded Commondeer Films, producing over 40 music videos. He…