- Tie the Leaves
- Kill Your Own Despair
- We All Need
- Seasons of Grey
- This Mystery
- Reveal Your Love
- Emptiness
- Back to the Start
- Faster, Faster
- Like the Rain
- Lamps
- About You
For an unsigned independent act, Esterlyn sure has a lot of connections in the industry. Two of the members were part of Grand Prize, the band from Boise, Idaho signed to Jaci Velasquez's A'postrophe Records back in 2005. They've since moved on and are currently managed by the same company that handles Kutless, Stellar Kart, and Disciple. Moreover, Esterlyn's debut album was co-produced by Number One Gun's Jeff Schneeweis, who also contributed his songwriting and performance skills to much of
Interestingly, Esterlyn really doesn't sound like any of those bands, and has improved considerably since their Grand Prize days in almost every way. There are plenty of melodic indie rock bands like this in Christian music—parts of
More impressive is the band's intelligent writing, evident as early as the opener "Tie the Leaves," which deals with fears of opening up and being accepted: "It appears we've chosen to impress those who believe everything is just alright/But within we know we're scared to be ourselves." Esterlyn avoids spiritual vagueness in songs like "Kill Your Own Despair," clearly describing the feeling of joy and hope we gain from embracing Jesus. But the band also avoids overly generic Christian expressions. "We All Need" beautifully expresses our need for faith, hope, and love without ever forcing the subject: "A silhouette reflects the vacancy of our intent/We forget the voice that makes our heart content." There are also songs about reconciliation through humility ("Seasons of Grey"), the search for purpose (ultra-catchy "Emptiness"), and changed living ('80s new wave influenced "Back to the Start").