What do you do when a band grows up? Everybody has a favorite band that has been around long enough to go through multiple band members or multiple different styles, or even both. When it works well, a band can stick around in the music industry for as long as it pleases. A band like Blink 182, for example, has significantly changed it's lyrical stylings throughout it's career, and has been rewarded for it with multiple generations of music fans feeling like Blink is "their band." Even a band that is changing musical styles can make it work very well for them if they do it right. My personal favorite, dc Talk, went from early 90's rap artists to mainstream rock, and it worked for them. Most people probably avoid the early rap stuff, but Jesus Freak is still one of the top Christian songs of all time, and that style propelled them to platinum record success.
But it doesn't always work well. Of course, we don't think about the failures as much, because...well, they're failures. Once a band "grows up" in a way that alienates their fans, it's difficult to come back from that. This seems like an appropriate transition into Relient K's latest album. You see, Relient K's latest release definitely has that potential. This is a "grown-up" record, and not everyone will like it. This disc absolutely runs the risk of alienating the fan base.
That sounds very negative, and I don't intend it to be. It's just that, in the spirit of the album, I want to be as honest as possible. You see, this album is just that: Honest. Throughout the CD, you'll notice some surprising lyrics, things you wouldn't expect an artist to say about themselves. For example, PTL, laments the fact that lead singer Matt Thiessen has not yet figured out how to "be a full time man." The upbeat Can't Complain points out in the most pronounced moments of the track, "I know life is gonna suck some days." Much of the disc focuses on lost love and failed attempts at love. There are honest moments throughout these tracks, and they're not always the most comfortable moments.
Aside from moments that might feel uncomfortable to the listener lyrically, there's a lot of potential for uncomfortable moments musically, too. This simply doesn't sound like a Relient K album, at least not at first listen. Songs like Boomerang and the previously mentioned PTL sound incredibly different from what you've come to expect from Relient K. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but there are songs on this disc that just sound out of place in the discography of the band. At their best, they're a new, fresh take from a band looking to keep progressing forward and not stay stuck in the same rut. At their worst, they're cheap rip-offs of more successful mainstream tracks.
None of this is to say that this is a bad album, mind you. It's merely a "fair warning" here. Expecting the same old, same old Relient K on this disc would be a mistake, and it would be a mistake that kept you from enjoying some of the highlight tracks. The opening of the disc, Don't Blink, is a solid track that gives you the Relient K sound of old, just a bit more matured. Lost Boy is an enjoyable track which sounds like a track you would expect from the same band who gave you a track like Must Have Done Something Right. And That's My Jam will be a massively fun summertime track for anyone who enjoys a walk down 90's pop and alternative music history.
All in all, this is not a bad disc. It's different, but it's not bad. To be fair, however, there is something missing, and personally, I think it's why this disc may not resonate in the way it could or should. This album is missing the most important portion of what has made previous Relient K CDs great: God. There is very little reference to God in this album, and it shows throughout a lot of these songs. It's clear through the lyrics that Thiessen is still working through some stuff with women, but it's also clear he's not getting anywhere because he seems to be shutting God out of the process. Forgive me for turning a music review to the spiritual realm, but let's be fair: Relient K is at its best when it's dealing with two things: Deep spiritual truths (Deathbed, Be My Escape, Who I Am Hates Who I've Been) or just having fun and being a bit silly (In Love With The 80's, Pink Tux To The Prom, Breakdown). The problem that this Collapsible Lung runs into is that neither of things really happen on this disc. I'm perfectly fine with a band maturing lyrically and switching up the musical style when it fits the songs. But the problem comes when a band loses its identity. Remember that talk of Blink 182 earlier? Yes, the same band that did What's My Age Again? has become a generational-gap-defying band, and it's because they grew up. However, it's not just that they grew up, it's that they stayed true to who they were.
This may be the biggest issue Relient K is running into. It seems like Thiessen is running into an identity crisis. The music is good, but it's different. The lryics are good, but not great. And God is almost fully missing, which is absolutely a mistake for a band that's at its best with God in the music. So where does this leave this disc? Well, if you're a listener who hasn't liked the direction the band has been going in recent years and is going to be hurt by the lack of spirituality, this disc could fall anywhere from a 4/10 to a 7/10. If you are a fan of the musical changes that have been happening (Remember, Forget And Not Slow Down was also pretty different from previous Relient K efforts), and if you can appreciate the lyrical honesty, you'll probably go anywhere from a 7/10 to a 9/10. So where do I fall? Well, I'll split the difference. This is mainly because the album, taken for the album itself, is not a bad album. The music is good, and the lyrics are honest. Most importantly, I don't think the "old" Relient K is dead yet. There are hints throughout this disc that they're still in there, somewhere. Viewing this as Thiessen's "rebellious teenage years" is not a bad view of this disc. Some good comes out of it, some crap comes out of it and, most importantly, the teenager eventually comes out of it too. I think there are signs of good things to come in this disc, and they may not be enough to make this album awesome, but there's enjoyment here nonetheless.
7.25 out of 10
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