ALBUM REVIEW: interrobang – Switchfoot
For those who have not yet come across the alt rock colossi that are SWITCHFOOT, they’re kind of a big deal. The discography of this band, which traces back to the late 90s, has always delivered a conjunction of assiduous, thought-provoking and just plain beautiful songs – many of which kick serious rock ’n’ roll ass at the same time. The band are Christian rock, and threaded in between their gorgeous melodies and solemnly stimulating lyrics (Where I Belong, Thrive, Afterlife – to name a few), they have tirelessly shown that they know how to kick it in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Rock Spirit.
Fast-forward to 2021 and the band are doing just the same with their latest release, interrobang. Instantly on opening track beloved, that same aptitude with melody is there. It’s not entirely easy to explain but SWITCHFOOT, particularly frontman Jon Foreman, just have a way with writing restorative and unique melodies. Other tracks on the record like backwards in time, lost ’cause and the bones of us also resonate this; the tracks are similar in style, but it feels as though their own distinctive tunes have been especially assigned to them.
Melody is experimented with further on cool-as-cucumber tracks wolves, i need you (to be wrong) and fluorescent. These stand out on the record as chic, poppy songs that simultaneously comprise complex melodies that could easily get lost in the listener’s memory, and that are also catchy as hell once you get your head around them. It is always easy to sense the artistry that has gone into this band’s work.
Lyrically, there is always a pattern with SWITCHFOOT. Being a Christian band, they have a habit for writing lyrics that manage to connect spirituality with reality, and that causes the listener to re-think their values as a human being. the hard way is lyrically similar to their song Stars in that it talks about changing patterns of behaviour (“When I complain, then I self-destruct / Maybe it’s me with the problems”). backwards in time is similar to their song Souvenirs, as, you’ve probably guessed it, they yearn for the past. Opening track beloved is almost the same lyrically as their song The Blues from their 2005 album Nothing Is Sound, with lyrics like “And the new year dawns / Everyday begins to feel the same” reminiscent of The Blues‘ “Is this the new year or just another night?”.
Quite a few of their songs question spiritual and other-worldly things like the presence of God, and some also question things on Earth such as societal beliefs and capitalism. Tracks like these ask the listener to question the society they live in, and it would seem not much has changed since 2005.
On the whole, interrobang is not as heavy as previous albums. The overall style is that of an indie persuasion, but this does not take away from the band’s credibility at all. It never would. Their flair for creating funky and uplifting soft rock songs is still prominent through tracks like if i were you and splinter. Their signature groovy guitar paired with insouciant drums and the occasional backing vocals create a feel-good fusion of sound.
Whilst it’s rather disheartening that there isn’t that get-after-it rock style they’ve come to deliver in the past, we can forgive this as they have managed to administer something that is still authentically SWITCHFOOT, and so is of equal value. For future albums however, fans will surely be thirsty for some Vice Verses-era guitar bashing, so hopefully the band will venture into those waters again.
Rating: 7/10
interrobang is out now via Fantasy Records.
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