Foreign Figures

Taking a step forward from their electronic-heavy Come Alive EP, Foreign Figures have eased their first full-length album, Paradigm, into Utahn ears, just under two years from when the Orem-founded band popped into the local scene.

Eric Michels’ vocals sound crisp and sultry and had three gentlemen outside my car dancing when I played it. The song that I was playing was “Stay,” when one of the gentlemen told me “Cheers” with his illegal outdoor beer. Jonny Tanner’s guitar work is catchy pop brilliance, so I can’t fault my friends’ enthusiasm for the undeniably magnetic tunes. In “Seasons,” Steve Michels’ perfectly timed drumming lends itself to the collaborative effort that sets Foreign Figures apart from much of the local scene. With so many bands trying to be different, it’s encouraging to hear this group united in the orgasmic pop they create together.

“Force of Nature” sends me into a dreamy romantic orbit with slow, progressive guitar scales and choruses fueled by Eric’s ambient vocal stylings. Listening to it in my car feels like a journey into the heart of sound. Each song on this album has the tendency to build, and this track is the culmination of all those efforts. As soon as I’m singing along, I notice I’m in stupid, stupid traffic, and the toddler in the car across from me is showing concern for my vocal whereabouts. (I secretly believe the reason that Utah has such good lead singers is our adapting to hours spent enduring traffic.)

I switch the song to “Fearless” because I need Seth Dunshee on bass to transform this idle happenstance with the anthem-like glory of this song. “Alarmed” is my album favorite, and it plays like U2 and Cold War Kids had an adorable baby—so engaging, I almost miss my exit.

As an album, Paradigm plays like the best summer you’ve ever had, which is why it’s so important: because adults tend to forget about that. It’s thundering pop one minute and an emotional catapult the next. A ride from point A to point B can be ordinary or completely freakin’ magical; I choose magical. You should choose magical, too, with sprinkles … easily downloadable Foreign Figures sprinkles. Enjoy. - Benjamin Tilton

Today’s New Music Discovery on Daily Unsigned, Foreign Figures is an Alternative Pop Rock Band that comes to us from Orem, Utah.
I know it’s been a couple weeks since I last featured a band on Daily Unsigned and truth be told…I lost my inspiration in music for some reason or another and thank goodness for Foreign Figures for helping me get out of the funk that I was in.
When I first discovered Foreign Figures several months back…I found myself immediately drawn into them by their amazing vocals, sticky hooks and their bombastic choruses.
Finding music that truly captures the essence of Alternative Pop Rock…lately has been a difficult task indeed. …so when I re-discovered Foreign Figures…I knew almost immediately that the mission was completed.
If you are driven for music that will encapsulate you completely…Foreign Figures is exactly what you have been looking for.
Foreign Figures is your New Music Discovery on Daily Unsigned today!!
– Rob Daily
Founder/Curator - Rob Daily

PROVO – Foreign Figures packed the Velour Live Music Gallery beyond maximum capacity with the band’s EP release show.

Foreign Figures is a local band based out of Orem. Since competing and winning Provo’s annual Battle of the Bands concert in November, the band has seen their star rise rapidly.

The EP release comes on the heels of their recent music video and single “Come Alive.” Foreign Figures teamed up with Devin Super Tramp, a local YouTube producer to create the film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1it13ZYGax0

“It was cool to see an organic growth, specifically since November to now, of followers and fans that we weren’t trying to coerce to come to our shows. And now within six days we’ve sold out Provo’s biggest venue,” said Seth Dunshee, the guitarist in Foreign Figures, before the concert. “That, for me, has been surreal.”

Velour had hundreds of fans, even spilling out the doors at the March 13 concert. The band sold branded shirts and USB wristbands with content including songs, videos and album artwork. Over 50 USB wristbands were sold during the show.

“It’s been a lot like a marriage,” said Eric Espinel, the band’s bass player. “We all have to support each other and help each other to achieve our potential.”

They attribute their recent success to improved cooperation among band members.

“We wrote a song the other day and we didn’t talk about it at all. We all just started playing and we played for five or six minutes. It sounded good enough that we could have recorded it. And it was all done without saying a thing to each other,” Dunshee said.

Velour has received local fame as the venue where bands such as Neon Trees and Imagine Dragons got their starts. Imagine Dragons recently returned to the venue Feb 21 to perform a “Homecoming” show.

Foreign Figures has a similar sound and genre to that of Imagine Dragons, said (?), and the band played during a KSL special on Imagine Dragon’s new album release, “Smoke + Mirrors.”

“I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had people come up to us and express to us how awesome they think our music is and how good it makes them feel,” said Jonny Tanner, the guitarist in the band. “That’s what our goal is as Foreign Figures: to portray that light and that positivity.”

Although Velour, located in downtown Provo, has an official capacity of fewer than 200, the Foreign Figures crowd was much larger. “I’m just so excited. It’s like that feeling it’s Christmas or something,” said Tanner.

All six of the band’s recent singles were performed along with a final encore performance of “Sounds Like Gold.” Eric Michels, lead singer in the band, even performed a successful stage dive to crowd surf.

According to ReverbNation, Foreign Figures is currently the 2nd-ranked alternative rock band in Orem. The Black Tie Event leads the genre at number one. ReverbNation ranks local bands based on the number of song and video plays as well as social media followers. Foreign Figures currently has nearly 30,ooo song and video plays and 2,313 followers on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The site also lists a nearly three thousand person fan base.

In preparation for the EP Release concert, a street team was formed for band members and fans to work together in promoting Foreign Figures.

“This has been an awesome way to get to know and make real friendships with people who enjoy and support our music,” said Dunshee. “I don’t even like using the term fans sometimes because it has an un-level position.”

The street team devoted time the day of the concert attracting people around the venue and selling merchandise for the band.

“These are people who have no obligation to Foreign Figures and don’t owe us anything. We simply ask them to be a part of our team,” said Tanner. “They accepted it just so readily and willingly. And that has just blown me away.”

The band plans to continue to produce music and live shows to promote their name. Tracking geographical downloading of the songs available online, they have already seen a wider spread among their fan base. “Most of the downloads were from Texas or New York or out of state,” Dunshee said.

“It speaks volumes to me that we have a product that caters to so many different people. It doesn’t matter their age or where they are located in the world,” said Tanner. “Music has the power to speak to people who may not speak your language and that is something we want to convey as well.” - capwestnews.com

I came across Foreign Figures from a DevinSuperTramp video and I’m so glad I did. Out of the city of Orem in Utah, these guys can make you want to get up and move. They’re a five piece band that fuses old school rock anthems with new age drum overflow. They even throw a bit of R&B into the mix at times. Can I also say that they have the most creative Twitter handle ever? 4infigures. It took me a couple of seconds to get that. There’s a beautiful cover of Coldplay’s Sky Full of Stars floating about soundcloud by the band and it really shows the amazing capabilities of these guys. Their Come Alive EP is currently tracked as a 3 piece that will be released in the near future (check their website). In the meantime, checkout their Ocean EP that was released last October on their bandcamp. Two EPs in half a year? That’s something special. They’ve just hit their one year mark as a band and we hope them many many more years!

Sidenote: They’ve released their video for their hit single Come Alive in 4k just yesterday and it’s epic! A must watch. - gegsy.com

Foreign Figures recently took first place in the battle of the bands competition at The Wall, a venue on BYU Campus. Imagine Dragons took first place in this same competition years ago, so it's no small feat. Foreign Figures' piano laden, drum heavy tracks are OneRepublic-esque in their delivery. If you are a fan of OneRepublic's "Dreaming Out Loud" or Boyce Avenue covers, these guys are great for you. Find them on Rdio, YouTube, or iTunes, press play, and enjoy as a wall of earnest sound envelopes you.
Recommended tracks: "Ocean Tide," "Mine," "Breaking Through" - everybestof.com