The Beautiful Letdown - 20 Years Later

Of all the things that brought me back here, to this blog, to this outlet of writing about music, I didn't expect it to be Switchfoot. In the more than three years since I've posted, there have been a number of notable releases that I have had many thoughts about (specifically two different 20 year anniversary releases for Linkin Park records that I will likely revisit now). But this being the one to do it was a surprise. I was familiar with the record, but more familiar with the singles as opposed to the album as a whole. I didn't listen to it as intently when I was younger, unlike my wife who grew up on all of Switchfoot's music. It is largely thanks to her that I've grown to love Switchfoot even more.

When the band announced they would be releasing "their version" (a new rerecording) of the record, I was intrigued. I gave the album a few listens before the new version released, just to familiarize myself, and it was a great reminder why this record took off for them in the way that it did, and why it's held such importance for listeners after all these years. I still think that "Dare You To Move" is one of my favorite songs of all time - it was very important to me in my high school years, and continues to feel so powerful.

The new version was an interesting listen at first - it was strange to hear the same songs by the same band, but recorded 20 years later. They almost felt wrong in a way - like an auditory uncanny valley - so close to the real thing but just different enough that it throws you off. However, the more I listened, the more I really enjoyed these new versions. Hearing the band perform these songs again, with new perspectives and more life experience, really added to the richness of the music.

I got very excited, however, when I saw that there was a deluxe edition of the album with reimagined versions of all the songs by DIFFERENT artists. The listing was announced, and I was intrigued by some (Owl City and Jonas Brothers), unfamiliar with many, but very, very excited for two specifically. "Ammunition" as performed by Relient K, and "Twenty-Four" as performed by Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots. Relient K is another band that I was familiar with growing up, but never deep dived into until more recent years - specifically their album Forget and Not Slow Down. Twenty One Pilots is a group I was into much more in my college and post college time, but not as much in the last few years. Both, however, are excellent groups/musicians, and I was thrilled to hear their versions of excellent Switchfoot songs.

"Twenty-Four" was what I expected it to be, in a way. Tyler Joseph plays the song in a way that both honors the original while still giving it his own twist. It didn't exceed my expectations, but it didn't miss. It was a good song by a great artist.

"Ammunition", however, was a fire I was not expecting. The song starts with a frantic sort of energy that I hadn't heard from Relient K since the late 2000's. The instrumental felt gritty, raw, and driven, indicating a heaviness to the song that only intensified when the vocals come in. Matt Theissen, the band's lead vocalist, hasn't sounded quite this earnest since the Forget and Not Slow Down era, and I absolutely love it. I can't get enough of it. I've put it on repeat several times over this past week, just listening to it again and again. It scratches an itch in my brain that I didn't even know I needed - an itch for a heavier Relient K sound. They've never been hard rock, or even really rock in the traditional sense. But this reminds me of the snippets they've had in their past releases - "Which to Bury; Us or the Hatchet?", "Devastation and Reform", and the final three songs of Forget and Not Slow Down are the first things that come to mind. It makes me excited - this is the first studio track we've gotten from the band since 2021, and their last full length release was in 2016. So a new album wouldn't be surprising, and if this cover was any indication of the direction, I am over the moon with anticipation.

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So, for now, I think I'll be back here. Who knows how frequently - with a child on the way (which still blows my mind sometimes), I imagine time and priorities will be shifting and changing constantly. But I want to jot my thoughts down about music, because there's so much, and it feels good to write.

Until next time.

- RD