My interest in Switchfoot first started with the song ?Mess of Me,? which they released as a preview for their album, Hello Hurricane. The song?s opening guitar riff immediately pulled me in, and the message of making a wreck of my own life hooked me on Switchfoot forever.

It?s now two years later, and my love for Switchfoot has only increased. My excitement for their new album Vice Verses, released Sept. 27, was beyond compare. The band is comprised of lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Foreman, bassist and vocalist Tim Foreman, rhythm guitarist, keyboard player and vocalist Jerome Fontamillas, lead guitarist Drew Shirley and drummer Chad Butler.

Switchfoot announced their new album with a video of their experience of listening to the complete record for the first time, where Tim said, ?This was our eighth record as a band, but it felt like the beginning of something new.?

Being the only work where the band sat down and listened to their entire album accurately symbolizes the theme of ?new? that Vice Verses brings to the Switchfoot line-up. This is the first album Switchfoot has dispensed of the ?pop? sound, with high-pitched vocals mixed with high guitar tones and playful riffs. Yet, almost paradoxically, they also embrace a heavier rock genre overall; track number six on the album, “Selling the News,” is borderline alternative punk rock.

Before the album?s release, Switchfoot premiered one of the album’s heaviest rock songs, “Dark Horses,” in late July. From start to finish, the song captivated its listeners with a driving rock beat and minor melodic tone.

I immediately Googled what the term ?dark horses? meant with the hope of really understanding the meaning of the song. Upon discovering that the phrase refers to an underdog, it quickly filled me with inspiration. The song is a cry from those who are beaten and broken, screaming that nothing can or will keep them down.

Ever since their beginning, Switchfoot has searched for what their and our true purpose is; this album is no exception. The album starts off with ?Afterlife,? in which they state that they choose not to wait until they die to begin their life. The song begins with nothing except frontman Foreman firmly stating, ?I?m ready now / I?m not waiting till the afterlife.?

The album?s highlight was the last song ?Where I Belong.? Like any Switchfoot song, they ask a question within the song that challenges the ways we choose to our lives. ?Until I die I?ll sing these songs / On the shores of Babylon / Still looking for a home / In a world where I belong.?

Switchfoot dares to ask themselves and their listeners: Is this world where we belong, or is it really in an afterlife of some form that we fulfill our true purpose? This song essentially sums up the meaning of most of their songs: Is this life all we have? Is this really all we are meant for? Can I become more, or is this just temporary until we reach what we are destined to be?

The line ?forever now? act as bookends for the album, appearing in the first track ?Afterlife? and the 12th and final track ?Where I Belong.? The band used this technique of book-ending the album with their record Hello Hurricane, using the the chorus from ?Needle in a Haystack Life.”

The most meaningful aspect of this album is the lyrics in most every song.

In Robert Luis Stevenson?s classic novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, he writes: ?In each of us, two natures are at war — the good and the evil. All our lives the fight goes on between them, and one of them must conquer. But in our own hands lies the power to choose — what we want most to be what we are.? This mentality is perfectly described with track number three, ?The War Inside.?

In it, Foreman sings: ?Yeah, it?s where the fight begins / Yeah, underneath the skin / Beneath these hopes and where we?ve been / Every fight comes from the fight within.? That line alone just speaks so much to me, as well as it should to everyone. Everyday is filled with decisions, usually dealing with right and wrong, and we are constantly fighting a battle with ourselves deciding where to place our moral lines.

With the release of their eighth studio album, Switchfoot has truly put out what they describe as their boldest record to date. Every song is filled with metaphorical language that revolves around their search for the meaning of life. Combined with their truly different sound — which ranges from heavy rock to ballad tone –, Switchfoot creates an album that is unlike any of their others.

In every sense of the word, this album truly is the boldest. When I heard “Dark Horses” for the first time I immediately had high hopes for this record, and they certainly exceeded all my expectations. I love every bit of this new genre and sound.

After years of music-making, Vice Verses can only be described as a fork in the road. Will Switchfoot choose to continue to pursue this new sound that they’ve found, or will this album just be an awesome road sign on the highway of Switchfoot’s life? I believe the former is true, and that they will continue to impress with this new kind of music. Even though they’ve already used this album title, I consider Vice Verses to be “the best yet.”

The album is available on iTunes, on Amazon.com and at most local music stores.

For more music reviews, read the Sept. 27 article, Abbey Road stages Beatles tribute (VIDEO).

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