On August 28, NEEDTOBREATHE released their seventh studio album, Out of Body. The Carolina-based soft rock band has had occasional hits break into the mainstream, with their single “Brother” being their most popular song according to Spotify. Their style has its roots in folk, rock, and gospel. This album leans more on rock than some of their previous works.
While NEEDTOBREATHE has Christian influences, they steer away from the label of Christian rock. Their faith is more prevalent in some songs than others. Even in the more faith-based songs, the focus is never overtly evangelical. Their songs sound like the testimony of someone who has found a greater purpose in their life, rather than the shallow “Jesus loves me” vibes echoed on your local Christian radio station. The folk and gospel influences help, as they tend to sound more down-to-earth than pop.
Out of Body has more of a Christian focus than some of their other albums. This is a natural evolution from their previous album, HARDLOVE, which chronicles the mental struggles and desolation experienced by the band. Out of Body presents a revival of the soul through gratitude after forging through emotional pain.
The album opens with a rush of energy. The first song, “Mercy’s Shore,” is about a man who has been beaten down by life and his own sins. This is conveyed through a swimming metaphor, as he belts that he doesn’t know if he “can swim no more” and is battered by stormy seas. He discovers that he is created for redemption, knowing he will “wash up on mercy’s shore.”
From there, the album continues its upward climb. “Hang On” is a nostalgic jam that’s meant to be played with the windows down, flying through your small town on a Friday night. “Out of Body,” the eponymous song of the album, comes right in the middle (6th out of 11 songs). It’s a poppy rock song about wishing to escape earthly life for something more transcendent. This harkens to the origins of NEEDTOBREATHE’s name. It’s based on a quote from Socrates: “[W]hen you desire wisdom and insight as badly as you need to breathe, then you shall have it.”
After this climactic song, things begin to slow down. The album goes from being fun anthems to reflective ballads. The second half of the album starts with “Who am I,” a song about finding that you are loved despite your faults. It is ambiguous about whether the love is from God or a woman;either way, the singer is amazed that someone has chosen to love them despite their “bad decisions.” As the singer states: “I push you away, still you won’t let go, you grow your roses on my barren soul.” As is a recurring theme throughout the album, love can be redemptive and forgiving.
“Banks” is a slow, sentimental, love song about a man pledging his love and commitment to a woman who has experienced emotional hardship. In a way, it is the answer to “Who am I,” as that song is about being loved, and this song is about loving another. The man says to his beloved, “I want to hold you close but never you back, like the banks to the river.” He wants to be the one to support her when she is in need, yet not dominate or control her life. This results in an authentic display of offering unconditional, self-sacrificial love.
The last song, “Seasons,” is meditative. Just as “Mercy’s Shore” opens the rising energy of the album, “Seasons” caps the slowly declining pace. Yet, slower-paced does not mean sad. The song states that “we are in for nasty weather” and that “we won’t be here forever.” It’s a contemplative piece on mortality, inevitable hardships, and how to confront them. According to the song, we “can’t be shifting with the sands like seasons always do.” Life cannot be all highs or all lows, but a consistent ethic built on stable foundations. The album sets these stable foundations to be agapic love and the Divine.
Listening to Out of Body feels like a spiritual retreat. It begins with light, spirited jams exalting the graces one has received. Yet, as the retreat draws to a close, things become thoughtful. One remembers how they have been hurt and how one might be hurt again. However, through one’s deeper desire for transcendence inspired by the retreat, one can find their own way of coping and thriving.
Featured image courtesy of NEEDTOBREATHE
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