Relient K - Forget & Not Slow Down

Producer:  Mark Lee Townsend & Matthew Thiessen
Record Label:  Mono Vs. Stereo/Jive Records
Website:  http://www.relientk.com

Relient K is the perfect example of a band maturing over time.  Gone are the days of Relient K’s pop/punk early years and witty and satyrical based tunes.  Relient K is officially a mature, modern rock band that talks about relationships - both spiritual and physical.  This is fully realized with the release of their seventh full length studio record Forget & Not Slow Down (including last year’s The Bird & the Bee Sides).  The songs from this record came from a broken heart - lead singer and primary songwriter Matt Thiessen’s broken heart to be exact.  After holing himself away for while, he wrote songs reflecting the emotional rollercoaster that he was on.  The band teamed up with their “favorite” producer Mark Lee Townsend and recorded this record - which is easily their most mature sounding to date.  The album kicks off with the radio hit and commercial sounding “Forget & Not Slow Down.”  Their sound is equal parts rock and pop with hints of modern folk and the occasional punk moment.  “Candlelight” is a peppy love song, while “Part of It” shows signs of the band’s former self with it’s pop/punk bounce.  “Therapy” features a compelling piano accompaniment that showcases the band’s strength in writing pop/rock tunes - and at times recalls the likes of pop-master The Rocket Summer.  “Sahara” is a full-fledged rock tune, and “This Is the End” is a delicate pop tune.  The band really gets creative with their use of musical interludes and outros - stuff bands like David Crowder Band have doing for a while - but it helps to add character to the already strong release.  Lyrically, this record does deal a lot with the end of relationships - but at the same time - it deals with the end of a lot of things - dreams, love, personal relationships, and spiritual highs - as well as where to go from there.  This is especially seen in the band’s opening number “Forget & Not Slow Down.”  Other songs also reflect this concept inherently - such as “Over It” and “This Is the End.”  Only one tune actually mentions God - “Therapy” - but with the band’s subtleness on past releases - this isn’t too atypical of the band.  There are also a smathering of goofy love songs (“Savannah” and “Candlelight” especially) - but they’re the kind of songs that are endearing to the band and never come off as cliche or sappy.  Overall, Relient K’s Forget & Not Slow Down is another fine release from the band.  It’s nice to see them moving over into more mature songwriting and musicality - but fans will definitely miss the more sarcastic moments from the band.  Perhaps the next release will at least see a few nods to the old days.  Either way, Relient K is still one of the finest bands to come out of Christian music, and Forget & Not Slow Down helps to solidify that.

Track listing:
1. Forget & Not Slow Down
2. I Don’t Need a Soul
3. Candlelight
4. Flare
5. Part of It
6. Outro
7. Therapy
8. Over It
9. Sahara
10. Oasis
11. Savannah
12. Baby
13. If You Believe Me
14. This Is the End
15. (If You Want It)