Originally published at kemptation.com on 4 July 2016. Words by Stephanie Yip

Released 8 July 2016 via Vanguard Records

Light and dark converge in Switchfoot’s 10th studio record as the band grapples with adversities both individually and as a unit. “Not to be melodramatic,” says Tim Foreman (bass) “but it was a dark season for us, and this record became a source of light in the middle of a dark season. It rose organically out of the ashes of adversity and surprised us all.”

Thematically, it’s a record that strays from previous ventures, veering away from romance toward a more personal journey. Yet, it maintains that signature pop-rock sonic that Switchfoot is renowned for. Jon Foreman’s (lead singer) crisp American vox rings full of nostalgia, passion and a hope that you can practically see radiating across his smiling face as he belts out these stunners.

Jon describes it as “moving forward while looking back,” bringing to the foreground that positive outlook so synonymous with the band. “That’s how we landed on this idea that the wound is where the light shines though”, says Jon. “This album is about being surprised by hope.”

It’s then on the third and title track, following a rock number (Holy Water) and 70s throwback dance track (Float) that the record really opens up. Where the Light Shines Through is that feelgood surfer-rock song that comforts, empowers and inspires you to take on the challenge of life. No doubt it will quickly make it’s way into the band’s already packed live set.

I Won’t Let You Go returns Switchfoot back to its Learning to Breathe days. Slowing down the pace, it’s all delicate guitar plucking, soaring violin and hoarse and desperate words that rip at the heart in a love ode destined to send women into a swoon.

But straight-up romance is not what the record relies on and the band quickly rolls onto uplifting dance track If The House Burns Down Tonight. It’s a song about strength, moving forward and what really matters in life. It joins a slew of other dance-worthy tunes (Healer of Souls and Live It Well) that each compel one to take a handle of their lives.

The Day That I Found God lives on a sombre note, giving the record that much needed shade in tone that it was missing up until this point. It sits smack-bang at the halfway mark and though slow and repetitive, doesn’t overstay its welcome. Instead, it sets a tonal incline that culminates in Bull in A China Shop. All head bops, scratchy guitars, groove-beats and killer riffs, it’s easily one of the funkiest and most addictive tracks on the record. It also wakes the crowd up and get their fist pumps warmed up for the politically-inclined Looking For America.

Perhaps lost on those outside the country, Looking For America is a meaty rock number with a heady marching beat. Despite its best intentions to question freedom, violence and war, it evidently comes off trite and superficial, refusing to delve further into the situation than any other mainstream pop-rock outfit that has gone before it has.

But it’s closing song Hope is the Anthem that really brings the album full circle. Showcasing everything that Switchfoot is: rich in energy, soaring with strings, rife with guitar plucks and overflowing with vocals that reach to the heavens in a uplifting story of love, hope and the lifelong battle that is life.

Listen and smile, guys, because this is Switchfoot as we’ve always known them. And that’s just the way we like it.