Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

For the best part of 20 years, Jon Foreman has penned intelligent songs that explore life and faith, relationships and the world around us. The band's success in finding an audience outside of the Christian music bubble has simply been a tribute to the band's skills musically and lyrically. Even after a slew of very good albums, I wasn't prepared for how great this album is. By album number nine you'd expect most bands to have passed their peak and yet Switchfoot continue to build and change. This is by far the San Diego band's most vibey album yet and they've chosen to push out in a few different directions and, whisper it, experiment. Sure, there are still plenty of moments where they demonstrate they know how to write a hook that demands airplay like on "Love Alone Is Worth The Fight" or "Who We Are". Elsewhere there is the hypnotic quality of "BA55" and the distorted majesty of "Say It Like You Mean It". There have been some whinges from other reviewers that there's nothing close to the fabulous guitar riffs of "The Beautiful Letdown" and questions as to whether Switchfoot are still a rock band. Purlease! It's the imagination, creativity and willingness not to simply retread previous triumphs that makes this one such a great album. Personally, I've always enjoyed bands that are willing to grow and develop. So I love this album! Put aside your prejudices and open your ears!

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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