Review Summary: the apology you've been waiting for
The moment Switchfoot won me back was a little under three minutes into 'flourescent.' After two minutes of groove-laden drums and rejuvenating gushes of electric guitar, frontman Jon Foreman screams in a near fever pitch, "my wings can't last this long." It only lasts for a few seconds, but for fans who endured the mainstream trend-grasping
Native Tongue – or the shallow surf-pop of
Fading West only years prior – it's everything. If there's something that has been sorely missing from the band's craft lately, it's the kind of grit that made
The Beautiful Letdown and
Hello Hurricane feel like they were impassioned, desperate pleas to live life to the fullest. Without that edge, Switchfoot has a tendency to rest a little too comfortably within the confines of contemporary Christian rock. If you've ever had an interest in Switchfoot but have felt it wane over the last half-decade or so, then
interrobang is precisely the apology you've been waiting for.
interrobang is tense and moody, ebbing and flowing through a series of electronically-tinged alt-rock tracks which seem to be constantly on the verge of a breakdown. Switchfoot rarely indulges though, preferring to maintain tension throughout. Instead, we get glimpses of it – like the nearly screamed vocals on 'flourescent' and 'splinter', the surge of electronics and synths across the back half of 'wolves', the twisting and mysterious strings that wrap their tentacles around 'i need you (to be wrong)', or the pianos trickling down the back of 'the bones of us' like a shiver.
interrobang is subtle and restrained, each note artfully arranged as it bides its time for the perfect spine-tingling accent or breathtaking instrumental breakthrough. Everything about this record is slightly off-kilter, but for a band that has become a little
too stable of late, it's the perfect touch.
The vocals here are astonishing. Foreman has never sounded so versatile, weaving his way through
interrobang's shapeshifting soundscape with elegance and poise. His range is fully unleashed, from the low register and sinister tonality of 'wolves' to the almost countryish closer 'electricity.' Along with some of the gruffer performances that have already been noted, we're able to witness Foreman's polar extremes and everything in between. The brilliance isn't just in the delivery itself though, it's how his vocals are used in the mix. Layering is used to its maximum benefit here, accenting moments of poignancy and sometimes even spinning up dense atmospheres out of nothing other than Foreman's self-harmonizing. I'm almost reminded of Manchester Orchestra's
A Black Mile to the Surface, because there are definitely times when
interrobang isn't doing much of anything instrumentally, but it still sounds earth-shattering. It's tough to achieve that effect with vocals alone, but Foreman's performance is both urgent and momentous; a cornerstone of
interrobang's successful formula.
Lyrically,
interrobang seems very rooted in the unfortunate divides of our present day. On the resplendent opener 'beloved', Foreman sings, "I'm still looking for the truth / but I can't seem to find it in the news", proceeding to lament partisan divides on 'lost cause' ("you won't see me as I am, not the enemy") and 'if i were you' (with Twitter as our liturgy / what a crummy legacy / 2020 enemies...If I were you and you were me, would we still be doomed to disagree?"). Although the content revolves around these bleak topics, Foreman still seems bent on working towards resolution, always offering some semblance of a silver lining: "cause if you're stuck with me, I guess I'm stuck with you / could we rise above the scars that we both put each other through?" Perhaps the most uplifting sentiment comes amid the darkness of 'wolves' (seriously, this is one of the best songs Switchfoot has ever crafted), a single line delivered with steadfast resolve: "Hopе is a war that is yet to begin."
interrobang is an album that most Switchfoot fans never would have foreseen. The tempo variation, agile production, and unique instrumental usage make it unlike anything else that Switchfoot has churned out in their nearly twenty-five year career. The record seemingly values emotional intensity and sonic experimentation above all else, and it's an approach that suits the band particularly well on the heels of some predictable and less-than-stellar pop outings. It's surprisingly fresh, lyrically relevant, and musically unpredictable – all things that Switchfoot was not two years ago when they dropped
Native Tongue. This is an improvement in every conceivable way, and it will instantly vie for the title of the very best Switchfoot record.
