'Nothing Is Sound' For Switchfoot On September 13th
Multi-platinum rock band readies its fifth studio release
San Diego-based rock group Switchfoot will be releasing their fifth studio recording, Nothing Is Sound on September 13th to retail outlets nationwide. The follow up to the RIAA double platinum The Beautiful Letdown, which yielded two Top 5 mainstream hit singles (“Meant to Live” and “Dare You to Move”), Nothing Is Sound was penned almost exclusively while the band was on tour.
“This record was written in back alleys and hotel rooms far from home,” says frontman and primary songwriter Jon Foreman, explaining the difference between Nothing Is Sound and its predecessor. “It’s more eclectic, less settled, with more dissonance. We’ve tried to capture the emotional ride that happens on stage and put it into the studio. Playing that hard every night really stretches you, and all these diverse experiences have played a key role in shaping this record.”
“For me, the past few years have been an emotional and chaotic time,” Foreman continues. “So many changes, so many strange memories, like a dream that unfolds in the waking hours. And all of these new songs have been a diary of this strange part of our journey, about the search for truth and beauty in uncertain times and places.”
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“The world is at a very volatile stage, with the war and how fast things are changing,” he adds. “But deeper than that the idea that there is an instability within myself and humanity as a whole—that’s where these songs are coming from.”
Part of the band’s experience in writing for the new record happened even hours before they hit the stage.
“We wanted to release a record this summer, and we were trying to figure out when in the world we would have time to record it,” Foreman admits. “So we took out a second set of gear, tiny drums and amps, and set up in the dressing room every day and got songs ready. While the opening bands were playing, we were in some tiny room trying to make a record.”
This on-the-fly approach to the writing process allowed the band to road test some of the new material in front of a live audience, which was something the group hadn’t previously encountered.
“A lot of times you know a song is good but not how it’s going to translate live,” Foreman points out. “Something might be good in the studio, but you have to change a lot of things to make it work live. These songs were developed for the live show. I’ve heard that’s how bands used to do it back in the day.”
Produced by John Fields, who also worked on Letdown, Nothing Is Sound was recorded everywhere from South Africa to Foreman’s own San Diego bedroom.
“If you can combine the more-professional-sounding elements with the honesty of doing it yourself, those are the best records,” Foreman asserts. “They’re honest and pure but listenable.”
“Stars,” the first single from the new album, has already reached the number one spot on alternative radio.
To listen to the track, and for more information, go to www.switchfoot.com.
