In the Darkest of Nights, Let the Birds Sing

In the Darkest of Nights, Let the Birds Sing is the fourth extended play (EP) by American indie rock band Foster the People, and their first to consist entirely of non-album material. The band released it independently on December 11, 2020. It was recorded remotely during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020, and was their first release following their departure from Columbia Records.

In the Darkest of Nights, Let the Birds Sing received mixed reviews from critics. Musically, it is an indie rock EP, with psychedelic influences and synthesized instrumentation. Its lyrics revolve around the concept of love, and many of its songs were written about the relationship between lead singer Mark Foster and his wife, Julia Garner. It was promoted with three singles; "Lamb's Wool", "The Things We Do" and "Under the Moon". It is the band's last release to feature drummer Mark Pontius, who left the band in 2021.

Background and development
Following the release of their third studio album, Sacred Hearts Club (2017), and several singles, Foster the People split from their record label, Columbia Records. Of the split, frontman Mark Foster said that he had become complacent knowing he had "other people with experience that would come up with ideas for us", but noticed that the "identity of the band was starting to get diluted because we were letting other things [...] influence it". He said that the band's ideas would no longer be affected by outside influences.

In the Darkest of Nights, Let the Birds Sing was recorded throughout 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The band recorded remotely, setting up a Dropbox server where they shared files and revised songs until they were ready for mixing. Foster's experience of the pandemic was mixed, as he spent time with his wife but felt "a gambit [of emotions]; fear, uncertainty, depression, anxiety, anger", and the songs on the EP were made as a response to that time. In March of that year, the band released an essay about unity during the pandemic on their website. The essay, penned by Foster, accompanied the release of a non-album single, "It's Ok to Be Human".

Composition and songs
In the Darkest of Nights, Let the Birds Sing consists of six indie rock tracks. Foster said that each of its songs "are about a different facet of love", and several of the songs on the EP were written about the relationship between him and his wife, Julia Garner. According to Palatinate's Kat Pittalis, the songs on the EP are more experimental and exhibit more overt influences from psychedelic pop than those on the band's previous releases. Foster called its sound "a reflection of everything Foster the People has touched on sonically from the beginning".

The EP opens with "Walk with a Big Stick", an upbeat song that contains a walking bassline and harmonies inspired by the Beach Boys. Vincent Tran of The Daily Californian compared the song's chorus to "witnessing the boldest man in the room drop the persona and turn into sentimental mush in his lover's arms, before heading back out the door again". The inspiration for "Cadillac" appeared early in the writing process, when Foster envisioned himself driving the titular car "into the great unknown" with Garner.

Keyboardist Isom Innis wrote the music of "Lamb's Wool" to honor his grandmother, a pianist who taught him how to play, when she died. The lyrics were written later, when Foster's uncle was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Foster described the song's lyrics as "a conversation between me, my uncle, and God". Despite the time it took to complete, he was able to play the finished song for his uncle before he died.

"The Things We Do" features synthesized instrumentation and Auto-Tuned vocals. Foster stated that the song was "about how everybody's a weirdo when nobody's looking". "Under the Moon" is influenced by trip-hop, and features an uncharacteristically low vocal performance from Foster. He said that the song was "a love song about when you're away from the person you love. You can [...] look up at the moon at night and know that you guys are both sharing that moment". It makes prominent use of the Prophet-5 synthesizer. "Your Heart is My Home" features wind instruments and a string section.

Release and promotion
The band first teased new music on their Instagram account in April 2020, prior to the release of lead single "Lamb's Wool" on May 22. It peaked at number 36 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts. "The Things We Do" was released as the second single on July 10 and peaked at number 25 on the Alternative Digital Song Sales charts. Its proceeds were split evenly between four charities; Black Lives Matter International, The Bail Project, Rebuild Foundation and the Underground Museum. On August 4, the band appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers, performing "Lamb's Wool" from their homes.

On November 12, the band officially announced In the Darkest of Nights, Let the Birds Sing, accompanied by the release of the third single, "Under the Moon". The EP was released the following month, on December 11, 2020. It was given a limited-edition release on vinyl, pressed by Third Man Pressing. Visualizers were released for the EP's tracks, directed by the band members and Nikoli Partiyeli. An animated music video for "Lamb's Wool", directed by Thomas Jarrett, came out on April 1, 2021. The band did not tour for the release, but performed songs from it at their three-night run of shows at the Wiltern Theatre in December 2021. In the Darkest of Nights, Let the Birds Sing was the band's final release to feature drummer Mark Pontius, who left the band in 2021.

Title and packaging
The title of the album was chosen in reference to the importance of "things that are there that remind us that the world is beautiful" during 2020, according to Foster. The cover artwork is a photograph taken by Nikoli Partiyeli and illustrated by Young & Sick, who also made the artwork for Torches (2011) and Supermodel (2014).

The vinyl release of In the Darkest of Nights, Let the Birds Sing features a slightly shuffled track listing. The positions of "Cadillac" and "Walk with a Big Stick" are switched, and "Imagination", a previously released single, appears as a bonus track. When asked about the inclusion of "Imagination", Foster said that he felt the song "deserved to be pressed to vinyl".

Critical reception
In the Darkest of Nights, Let the Birds Sing received mixed reviews from critics. Kat Pittalis of Palatinate called the EP a "masterpiece", with a more "cinematic approach to song-writing" than their previous releases. They described it as the band's "best work to date", with "tracks listeners can't help but be drawn to and transfixed by". In contrast, The Daily Californian`s Vincent Tran panned the EP. He called its songs "so vague, lame and forgettable that silence might've been the band's preferred alternative". He singled out "Your Heart is My Home" as "the only track on the EP that fully justifies its existence", but overall dubbed the release a "lame duck".

Track listings
Vinyl track listing

Personnel
Credits are adapted from the EP's liner notes.

Tracks 1–6
 * Mark Foster – production, engineering
 * Isom Innis – production and engineering
 * Rich Costey – mixing
 * Howie Weinberg – mastering

"Imagination"
 * Mark Foster – production
 * Josh Abraham – production
 * Oligee – production
 * Lars Stalfors – mixing
 * Howie Weinberg – mastering

Art design
 * Nikoli Partiyeli – photography, vinyl packaging design
 * Young & Sick – additional design