Relient K "Air for Free" Album Review

 

 

By: James Southworth
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

It's crazy to think about, but Relient K has been around for sixteen years now. I've been a huge fan of them for quite some time, really starting to like them when I fell in love with their song "Getting Into You". Ever since, I've avidly listened to them. They have quite the great album discography with many superb songs. They are one of the few bands where I actually enjoy their relationship-focused songs. So many of them have clever wordplay and are just straight-up fun. The songs are refreshingly more about just legitimately loving another rather than sexualizing the person's body. There also seems to be a pure joy in them that I cannot find in many other songs about relationships. On "Forget And Not Slow Down", Relient K's most mature album to date as well as the one talking the most about love, it showed lead singer Matt Thiessen finding himself through a tough divorce. I absolutely loved that album, even though it isn't my favorite by them. It surprised me when RK totally abandoned that style and instead adapted a more electronic pop sound with "Collapsible Lung". The album was overall a disappointment for many fans, including myself (it wasn't an entire loss, though- "PTL" is one of my favorite RK songs of all time, and "Don't Blink", "Collapsible Lung" and "That's My Jam" had a classic Relient K feel). Now, Relient K is back with only two band members (Thiessen and Hoopes) remaining in their new album "Air for Free". It would be an understatement to say Relient K made me so happy with this album, as it shows them back in full form while also putting new twists to their sound.

If you're a Relient K fan and don't smile when you here the first track and lead single "Bummin", then you have a problem. This song was what got my attention on this album, as it reminds of so many other famous RK songs like "Forget and Not Slow Down", "The Best Thing", and "The One I'm Waiting For". It's so upbeat with the pop punk flare that put this band into the mainstream. It certainly was right to start with this track and then slowly but cleverly get the fans into the slightly newer styling of the rest of the album, while also keeping their signature sound intact.  "Local Construction" brings some of Matt's most clever lyricism to date in comparing how construction is never done to how we are never done improving ourselves: "Fix the car, fix the house/Fix the flaws in my self/It's never done, no no/It's never done, no no/Like local construction/It's never done". Matt shows how this crisis of constantly having to fix oneself isn't a bad thing, but it's something that everyone needs to be aware of. I found myself having a lot of fun with this song as there are some interesting comparisons drawn as well as some funny puns. The joyful, fun vibe on the album continues with a "Mrs. Hippopotamuses'", which is a dedication to Thiessen's hometown. Musically, it screams nostalgia, and lyrically it's super catchy with chants of "OH-IO". I found myself singing along pretty quickly, and still can't get the song out of my head.

"Cat" is probably the most outright silly track on the album while also keeping classic RK cleverness intact as Matt asks "Who's that crazy cat?", and then answers his own question by saying "He looks a lot like me". This song more than any other might represent the main theme of this whole album, which is to simply find delight in life and pursue living to the fullest, as the chorus has Matt happily singing "Gonna live a long, long time" with a group of people singing in the background. The song is so happy and optimistic, and because of that, it shines as the first big highlight on the album. After the first four tracks which remind more of the old Relient K, the next few tracks pursue more mature themes reminiscent of "Forget and Not Slow Down". "Man" has Matt discussing growing up and becoming more of the person he is meant to be. The song is a bit bittersweet, but it's also very sincere as Matt says, "Wave goodbye as I outgrow the shadow of Peter Pan/I'll be every bit the person we both already know I can/It's time to be a man". The title track brings back more of the electronic vibes that "Collapsible Lung" had, except this song does it in a much better way, sounding very well put together instead of disjointed (like "Boomerang" or "Lost Boy"). The distorted sounds work well for the song, which has Matt asking God to be there for him in his darkest times. "God" is a simple but effective declaration of Matt declaring his faith. The lyrics really work, too: "I believe in God, I believe in God/And I believe that I, I believe enough/So help me God". While this can't match to some of Relient K's other piano ballads, it still is nice to listen to.


"Elephant Parade" is probably the most chaotic song on this album, with horns going off in the background, and the drums and even Matt's vocals sound off-kilter. But, with the song bringing up again the theme of living to the fullest, the sound works. Relient K took a risk here, and it really ends up paying off as the song is just delightful, making it another big highlight. "Mountaintop" is a great piano-rock anthem which has a lot of beautiful visual imagery. It creates a great relationship-focused track with Matt also showing love for God in the process: "Some might say 'euphoric'/No, there's really no words for it/When a smile grows across your face/Like pieces of a broken vase/Everything falls into place". Those lines right there are the real lyrical highlight of the album, making this song stand out even more among the rest of the songs on this album. "Empty House" is easily going to be the most polarizing song on this album, as sound-wise it uses auto-tune throughout its whole run time. Many are not going to like it. But I think for the deep emotional theme of this song, which is about crippling loneliness, the auto-tune actually works. It makes the song sound almost otherworldly and disconnected,  which makes the idea of disconnection via loneliness in the song work all the more. It isn't one of the best songs on the album, but it still delivers its message in the right way, and I totally commend Relient K for taking a huge risk with this song. It could've sounded like a lot of other piano ballads that the band does, but instead it is something pretty unique.


The last part of this album shows a lot of the best songs on the whole record. "Flower" reminds of a lot of other Relient K ballads, but it also stands very well on its own. Lyrically, the song is so touching as Matt expresses how he needs to find love for himself again before he can love another: "I think about everything else/And I know that I must love myself/'Til anyone other than me/Can look and then see what I see/And sense where the harmony dwells". Matt is still showing how recovering from a broken relationship is a long process, but it's one that has apparently taught him a lot. This is one of RK's most mature songs to date I know it will touch others and probably be a fan favorite. For me, "Marigold", which purposefully relates to "Flower", is my favorite song on the album. Thiessen is telling a story here of how he picked marigolds for his mom and she took them even though they were weeds rather than true flowers. Matt uses that as a metaphor for himself, how he didn't always deserve his mom's compassionate love but she still gave it. The lyrics "So anyway/I should buy my mom a bouquet/Just to say hey, I'm thinking about you today/That's right/Thinking about everything you did for me/Like always saying, 'grace sets you free'" teared me up a bit as they reminded me of my own mom and how she reflected God's love for me. Musically the song is just wonderfully put together, sounding upbeat and joyous in Matt's expression of love for his mom, while also using the piano for the more solemn parts of the song. Matt's voice soars and becomes soft and intimate in just the right way. This is easily one of the best songs of the year.


"Runnin'" might be the most interesting part of "Air for Free". It tells three different stories, but I won't reveal them to you so you can appreciate them for yourself. Musically, this song is excellent as it shifts from pop-punk to piano to straight up rock in a way that feels logical. The song is dynamically interesting and shows Relient K for the musical talents they are. "Prodigal", while only two minutes long, still shines in its usage of subtle electronic elements while Matt discusses being the prodigal that ran away from God but eventually returned. Both of these songs felt like they logically fit together in a strange way and make for the most experimental part of the album. There are only a few weak points on "Air for Free". "Sleepin'" honestly didn't do a whole lot for me. It reminded of Owl City in its discussion of insomnia, but honestly it wasn't that interesting lyrically. Musically, it just sounds like so many other Relient K songs. "Heartache" was a bit of a downer as the closing song. It didn't seem to logically transition between its vastly different dynamics, which made it disappointing in relation to some of RK's better closing songs like "Collapsible Lung" or "Deathbed".

If there's one thing that "Air for Free" does, it proves that Relient K isn't going down in quality any time soon, and that they are also unafraid to take musical risks. This album is refreshingly optimistic in a time where negativity is prevailing, which makes this album all the more needed. The theme of pursuing life to the fullest is one I think almost anyone could get behind. There's no doubt this is going to be on my top albums of the year list. It's good to have you back, Relient K!

Favorite Songs: "Marigold", "Mountaintop", "Flower",  "Cat",  "Bummin'", "Mrs. Hippopotamuses'"

Least Favorite Songs: "Sleepin'", "Heartache"