SwitchfootNative Tongue

Well, blow me away and leave me to float. If there’s a better offering for an emotive, ethereal experience across an experimental rock release, I don’t want to know about it. Switchfoot have got you covered for mind-blowing, sense-tingling jams in their brand new album, Native Tongue.

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It’s an entirely new musical language for the San Diego alt-rockers. The album’s mantra is all to do with language, communication, and understanding across the highs and lows of a devout mission, Native Tongue sees Switchfoot on a musical mission–nay, Foreman is on a mission. Where Switchfoot’s evangelical ethos has always been prominent in their music, the most striking element of this release is primary songwriter and vocalist Jon Foreman’s incredible delivery, song writing skills and obvious passion.

Two decades plus and boasting 11 studio albums, the long and short of it is Switchfoot are criminally underrated.

The powerful highs of his voice boast a wicked crunch as his spirit soars in opener Let It Happen, and the booming bass of the album’s title track, to the EDM efforts of The Hardest Art, spinning dizzily back round to the spiritual highs of Joy Invincible and the synchronised chorus and acoustic beats of All I Need. Narrowing down just three tracks to recommend in Hysteria’s ‘standout tracks’ section of this review has proved a very hard task–indeed, more time has been spent agonising over which titles to choose than writing this review.

Switchfoot’s music speaks for itself. In putting out a release that tinkers with the idea of communication, it’s remarkable just how universal and well understood Native Tongue is. Two decades plus and boasting 11 studio albums, the long and short of it is Switchfoot are criminally underrated. Native Tongue is the release that will prove them worthy of your time and adoration.

STANDOUT TRACKS: All I Need, Voices, Prodigal Soul
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Sanctus Real, Jar Of Clay, Butch Walker