ALBUM REVIEW: Foster Planet - Self/Titled
*This review originally appeared in our August 2025 issue*
Photo by Kiki Vassilakis
“The back and forth between beautifully sung hooks, and bars that would receive praise from even the staunchest rap critic prove that Foster Planet has unlocked the secret formula.”
As I am writing this intro, I haven't heard one single note from the debut album by Foster Planet, the collaboration between local heavyweights Camtron5000, Mirk, and LikeTheAstronaut (Cameron Rivers, Joshua Mirsky, and John Glenn, respectively). Being familiar with all three artists, I am having a hard time envisioning what I will hear when I press play. You might as well hit play yourself and come along for the ride.
“4,3,2,1, we have ignition, and we have liftoff…” is the first thing we hear. It is a recording from the Voyager launch in 1977, but it quickly transforms into an interdimensional tale of an alien eating the golden record from within Voyager, becoming transfixed on human music and sending music back to earth.
I definitely did not expect that.
After the brief introductory interlude, the incredibly bouncy “4our Mys3lf” is off and running. Glenn's vocal hook is pitch-perfect against the funky reggae beat that melds into a breakneck rap from Camtron5000.
“Did it for the feeling, did it for the money, did it for our family, did it for my…” Glenn begins, before Camtron5000 enters with “...self-deprecating, self-medicating self, I’m so self-centered maybe I just need some self-help.” The contrast of these first few seconds seems, to me, to be at least a slight nod to this super-group’s individual styles of music.
One might think that hip-hop artists and folky, indie rock artists would be an ill-fitting venture, but in the case of Foster Planet, one would be wrong. The back and forth between beautifully sung hooks and bars that would receive praise from even the staunchest rap critic prove that Foster Planet has unlocked a secret formula.
“You Can Have It” is a straight-up reggae banger, with incredibly confident lyrical timing and cadence from Mirk.
About halfway through the album, we find the interlude, “Transmission,” which adds to the ‘gold record-eating alien’ tale that began the album. In this skit, they recognize that the alien may be trying to communicate via music, and attempt to use song to communicate back. It’s a particularly enjoyable interlude, as it isn’t just a silly ‘skit,’ but rather a short musical number which blends perfectly into the old-school flavor of “No Fears, No Doubts.”
Starting with a simple trap-kit beat, and adding layers of bass and piano, “No Fears, No Doubts” is a great flip of the formula seen earlier in this record. Instead of hip-hop lyrics over a more nuanced musical backdrop, this track takes a hip-hop beat and adds Glenns’ singing, which creates what I might consider the standout track on the album, especially once Camtron5000 enters.
The album ends with “Until The Next Time (Outro)” bringing to mind the end of a play where the cast comes out for their curtain call. It acts not only as a perfect ending to this debut album, but also as a hint that this will not be the last we’ll hear from Foster Planet.
I’m no rocket scientist, but I’d venture to guess that they will once again stand firm on the launching pad and begin the countdown to launch another stellar record.
Foster Planet’s debut album is out now on all major streaming platforms and their Bandcamp page at fosterplanet.bandcamp.com
