- The One I'm Waiting For
- Be My Escape
- High of 75
- I So Hate Consequences
- The Only Thing Worse Than Beating a Dead Horse Is Betting on One
- My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend
- More Than Useless
- Which to Bury, Us or the Hatchet
- Let It All Out
- Who I Am Hates Who I've Been
- Maintain Consciousness
- This Week the Trend
- Life After Death & Taxes (Failure II)
- When I Go Down
Wondering who's next to break big in Christian music after Stacie Orrico, MercyMe, and Switchfoot? All indicators point to Canton, Ohio's Relient K. Since coming onto the scene in 2000, the power punk band has amassed one of the most loyal followings in CCM, selling more than a million copies of their first three albums together. The success has led to opportunities in both Christian and mainstream markets—Gotee now shares a distribution deal with Capitol. Additionally, the band is strengthening and maturing their sound with every album, including their latest tight-lipped title
That last observation might cause some unease among fans. Not all followings can readily accept that the best bands grow over time, and many in Relient K's audience still want the young rockers that don't take themselves too seriously—the guys that sang about Thundercats, the Sadie Hawkins dance, and basic relationship foibles. But you have to admire a band that can gradually shed its novelty rock label and evolve into one of the frontrunners in the power punk style.
Continuing where 2003's
The songwriting is, in fact, where Relient K has matured the most. The rock is still fun throughout, and there are a few playful tracks, like the literally sunny outlook in "High of 75" about Midwestern seasonal affect disorder, or "My Girl's Ex-boyfriend," in which he sweetly thanks a former suitor for ending the romance: "Who would've known he would leave everything I need?" But other songs with funny titles are actually quite sincere in message. "Maintain Consciousness" and "This Week the Trend" really are both intended as teen wake-up calls for apathy and laziness. "Which to Bury, Us or the Hatchet" is the angriest on the album, letting loose some impressive rock rage as it struggles over resolving or ending a relationship. It seamlessly transitions into the gentlest track, piano-based "Let It All Out," repairing the damage with almost spiritual reconciliation: "Remember, the end will justify the pain it took to get us there." This runs deeper than the usual teenage romance attributed to punk rock, very much applicable to married life as well.
It's also possible that
Because this is a departure from the band's signature goofiness, not everyone will consider this Relient K's best work. (And no, that lengthy titled song about the "Dead Horse" is more a heady diatribe than a silly gag.) But if you go in expecting a solidly executed rock album with thoughtful songwriting,
(Note: if you hit rewind on your CD player when the first track begins and go back about twenty seconds, you can listen to the quick "title track" listed in the song sequence.)