Review Summary: This Is The End (If You Want It).
11 years ago Relient K released their magnum opus ‘Forget And Not Slow Down’. The record is one of my personal favorite albums of all time with the most mature songwriting the band has released to date and impeccable production and perfect pacing. The album was the first major stylistic shift in the band’s discography, trading high-energy pop punk anthems for indie rock and midwest emo influences. The album has a very organic sound, with lively and natural sounding guitar, piano, and drum tones throughout, perfectly crafted during the record’s recording process locked away in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. This source of isolation caused frontman Matt Theissen write his most emotional and honest lyrics of his career, mourning the loss of a failed engagement and crisis of faith due to the unfaithfulness in his relationship.
‘Forget And Now Slow Down’ is a concept record of sorts, going through the 5 stages of grief as Theissen attempts to move on and better himself for the future while rediscovering the person he lost over time. Longing for reconciliation that never comes, the record is a sonic journey starting with his initial denial and the eventual acceptance of his actions and the pain it inflicted on his personal life and others. Lush overdriven telecasters and mixed acoustics lead the album’s instrumentation, with one of my favorite guitar tones of all time and a real sense of feel and emotion, lacking the compression and processing of most modern records. This is especially apparent on tracks such as the anguished punk rocker “Part of It” and the feedback-soaked emotional empathy of “I Don’t Need A Soul”.
The acoustic-driven “Savannah” is one of the most heartbreaking songs on the album, holding onto a sense of wistfulness over unusual chord progressions and raw instrumentation that inhibits an emotional space in the track, complimenting the vocals and easing space for it’s vulnerable lyrics to stand out. The song then explodes into an epic climax on its second part titled “Baby”, a loud, brash guitar driven interlude that leads into “If You Believe Me”.
“If You Believe Me” is one of the most thrilling and attention-grabbing songs on the album, with it’s intense instrumentation being the perfect representation of the lyrically expressed feeling of cautious optimism and slight apprehension of the thought of possible reconciliation with his former lover with a dramatic sense of desperation.
The record naturally has a therapeutic aura throughout its runtime, being an authentic outpouring of self-reflection and mental processing for Theissen. This level of vulnerability has led to the album being a healing listen for me personally through my own moments of trauma and mental health struggles, connecting with me on a level very few records do. The aptly-named “Therapy” is one of said songs outlines Matt wanting to just go out and drive to isolation and reconnect with God as therapy when he has no one else to listen and looking to strengthen a faith he had begun to lose through the hardships of a life that is in transition.
My favorite track on the album, “Sahara” drips with raging aggression and perceived anger, outlying the feeling of Matt’s betrayal and admittance in third person form. It’s the one of the heaviest tracks the band has ever released, bordering on post-hardcore song structures and featuring fantastic guest appearances from Aaron Gillespie of Underoath and Tim Skipper of House Of Heroes.
The dramatic two part finale track, “This Is The End” is the most chaotic on the album, detailing Matt’s acceptance of the ending of the relationship and initial start of moving and final grieving process. He finally comes to terms with all of it being his fault on “(If you want it)”, leaving one last chance for reconnection but knowing the answer is no, closing the album on a powerful note. Fading the chaotic guitars into a sole piano piece, the song featuring some of the strongest lyricism and most emotional moments on the album. Matt grapples with the permanence of the decision and the struggle of letting go of the person he thought he had the rest of his life with and realizing how toxic the relationship and it’s fallout was on each other.
‘Forget And Now Slow Down’ is a difficult album to listen to, it’s a musical masterpiece that lyrically chronicles Theissen’s personal journey in almost journal-like fashion during one of the lowest points of his life with an overwhelming notion of guilt and regret. It’s a powerful and vulnerable album, one that spoke to me years ago and has helped many through hardships over the past decade. It’s a timeless record that was born out of tragedy and isolation, and one that ages like fine wine gets consistently better with time.
