Musical Composition and Production Musically, "Pumped Up Kicks" features a catchy, alt-pop dance sound, characterized by distinctive bass lines and rhythmic percussion. The production of the track was completed in Los Angeles, with Foster handling much of this aspect himself.
"Pumped Up Kicks" was the ultimate breakthrough for Los Angeles-based alt-pop group Foster the People. It was a catchy crossover hit that catered to multiple genre formats, and it helped usher Background According to Foster himself, the track as a whole indeed describes the problem of mass school shootings in the United States. When writing the song in 2009, he felt that the country's handling of these shootings would continue to become a growing problem rather than seeing any improvement. The phrase "pumped up kicks", which is the title of the song, refers to a type of expensive sneakers that only the rich could afford. And the other kids whom the troubled kid wants to murder own pairs of these "pumped up kicks", which clearly shows that they are more privileged than he is. Understanding the meaning behind song "Pumped Up Kicks". The lyrics of the song are about a teenager, his name is Robert. He suffers from certain psychological problems. He is rejected by the society of peers, which constantly gives him a lot of pain.