Album Review: Switchfoot - 'Interrobang'

Twelve full-lengths in and San Diego rockers Switchfoot continue to inch farther and farther from their earlier - and significantly heavier - roots, as seen with vigour on their brand new album interrobang.

More recently a reliable go-to for the softer rock set - thanks in part to their mainstream stint gracing Mandy Moore's 2002 tearjerker A Walk To Remember - Switchfoot have worn many stylistic hats since forming in the mid-'90s, including the occasionally rejected Christian rock moniker that has affixed to most of their career.

With over two decades under their belts and a sturdy adherence to the shifting nature their own band name dictates, Switchfoot in 2021 are a far cry from their early harder rock tendencies, but this has never been a band willing to dwell too long in one genre, and their latest endeavour is an amalgamation of affable melodics and slight stylistic deviation for those willing to take the plunge. 

The occasional flourishes of guitar throughout interrobang with tracks like Fluorescent, If I Were You and The Hard Way may sit as a bit of a tease for those chasing some good old fashioned rock'n'roll; instead, this is an album of near-quiet reflection, dabbling into offbeat instrumentation and effects on tracks like the sparse muddled piano-driven The Bones Of Us, the offbeat Wolves and the '60s-esque closing number Electricity.

Ultimately, your enjoyment of interrobang will largely be influenced by how you approach it; if you came here to RAWK - these are not the droids you're looking for. But if you arrive here with a bit of a weary soul, seeking an inoffensive and sharply produced journey sonically reminiscent of simpler times while tackling issues faced here and now - interrobang offers a calming wave to switch up the chaos lurking within arm's reach.