Taking their fate into their own hands

Switchfoot. Photo / Supplied

Switchfoot are one of those Christian rock bands who would prefer not to be labelled a Christian rock band.

"It's a faith rather than a genre," is a mantra frontman and songwriter Jon Foreman came up with a few years ago and the rest of the band, including brother and bassist Tim, stick by it.

While the Foremans' father is a pastor - likewise drummer Chad Butler's dad - Switchfoot got together in San Diego in 1996 and bonded over surfing and rock music rather than their faith in God.

"We had a lot of upbringing in the church between the three of us," laughs Tim Foreman. "But fortunately our parents were able to recognise that at some point our fate had to become our own. They allowed us that freedom to ask questions, and what it means to believe in the God of the universe, and the implications of that, and the freedom to make mistakes, and have big dreams. That was all really important," he continues on the line from his hometown ahead of playing Christian music festival Parachute this weekend, which celebrates it 20th anniversary this year.

They last played Parachute in 2008 and return to headline the event at Mystery Creek in Hamilton.

Switchfoot's career has been a slow burner, signing to an independent record label early on, touring constantly, and landing a major record deal with Columbia in 2003 for fourth album, The Beautiful Letdown.

But come 2007 the band parted company with Columbia ("We felt we needed some time and space. Time for soul searching, time to figure out what sort of songs we wanted to do.") and built their own recording studio in San Diego.

With their new found freedom they went about creating what Foreman describes as "a career defining album" and the result is Hello Hurricane which was released late last year.

They went on a musical journey, writing well over 100 songs and recording 90 of those, which is why they already have the next two albums ready to go. "We couldn't have done that if we had a major label breathing down our neck, and paying for a studio by the hour, so it was a really great situation for us. And challenging, with no net to catch us."

He describes the bands previous albums as "city scapes, with high rises, lots of traffic, and a lot going on" whereas Hello Hurricane is more like a "sonic landscape that we wanted to be wide open".

So Bullet Soul has a fuzzy garage rock swagger, which is contrasted with the brooding and soaring Coldplay-meets-U2-like Sing It Out, and then there's thumping first single Mess of Me.

"These are honest songs," says Foreman of his brother's songwriting, "and honest songs are not something you can just drum up or fake. The music I listen to from a kid to now, whether it's Dylan or Bob Marley or whoever, there is soul to it because it's honest, and whether I agree with them or not, I believe it because they are singing from a honest place."

Lowdown

Who: Switchfoot
What:San Diego alt-Christian rockers
Where & when: Parachute Festival, Mystery Creek, January 29-Feb 1, with Underoath, the Parachute Band, Rapture Ruckus, Vince Harder, Nathan King, Three Houses Down, All Left Out, and many more.
Latest album: Hello Hurricane, out now.