In 2014, Unspoken came onto the Christian music scene pairing their heartfelt lyrics with an urban-infused, radio-friendly, signature sound. With members from Maine, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, Unspoken's diverse sound allowed them to gain momentum as they garnered two Top 5 Christian radio singles and made noise on the road alongside the likes of Sanctus Real and Big Daddy Weave. 

Looking to capitalize on the momentum created by their self-titled debut, Unspoken releases a new album entitled Follow Through August 26. The band's Chad Mattson and Jon Lowry recently shared with me about their new music, their thankfulness for God's provision in their lives, and their hopes for what God will do in the next chapter of their journey. 

You guys made your mark on the Christian music world with the self-titled album, and the new single "Higher" is out now. Would you mind sharing a little bit of the inspiration behind "Higher?" 

Chad: Well first of all it's the first track on our record. It's the first single. We didn't think it was going to be a single. We just went in; Jon and I had a guitar riff kind of thing four years ago.

Jon: It was actually like four different song ideas from several different years. They all kind of mashed together actually. 

Chad: Exactly. But anyway over the last 13 years we've experienced a lot of lows and a lot of highs. "Higher" was a great track to start the record with and have as the first single because it sets a precedent that regardless of what life throws our way, God's worthiness isn't determined by our circumstances. He's good. He's worthy. He's faithful at all times. ‬So "Higher" was just an encouragement and a charge to us to continue to just lift him higher and praise Him and thank Him for whatever season we're in and whatever we're going through. 
 
Can you share with the fans a little bit more about the new album and what to expect musically?

Jon: First off, it's a lot of praise. It's a lot of thankfulness and gratitude, just for what we've seen God do. Over the previous records we were playing music, we were working two jobs when we were home, and we were just so busy. In writing this record, we were finally surviving on music alone. We didn't have to work when we were home. 

We have a song on there called "So Good To Me," and it's just that we are amazed at the prayers that God has answered over the last few years. He's so good to us so we just had to write a song like that. I think a lot of them say stuff like that. A lot of it is empowerment and encouragement for Christians. We have a song called "Soldier" which reminds us that we're in a battle, and we're all soldiers in the Lord's army. It's based after that old children's song. So there are a lot of songs like that too.

Chad: I think it's also about thanking God and having the ability to be content where we are. We all want and need to be content where we are, but we also want to be able to dream big. And so some of the songs on the record are about not giving up on your dreams and asking the Lord and believing in God for big things while still thanking him and being grateful for where we are right now. ‬And that is a hard balance to find.‬ But stylistically I think it's diverse. I mean we've got a song that's like African. It's got Swahili in it. We've got a song that's straight Latino as well. 

Jon: That's on the deluxe version. 

Chad: Oh yeah those are deluxe. True. 

Jon: So you'll have to buy the deluxe. (laughs)

Chad: Yeah and the Deluxe one is great. We brought a song we wrote seven years ago to the record, and I mean it's pop; it's soulful; it's fun. This is a really fun record. And in years past we never had a fun record. We never had a lot of fun songs. I mean we knew we needed a lot of upbeat songs for our live show so we wrote a TON of them. 

I think this is going to be a fun record. I think you could put this record in a playlist of secular music, and the feel would fit right in. I'm just excited to see what God is going to do. I'm dreaming for big, but I'm also thanking God for what his sovereign plan is. I think in the writing process for this, we got discouraged and beat up. Then we had to come to that place to say, "God you are sovereign, and you are good, and we are here to serve you. So whatever you want to do with it, do that. Help me accept it." But we'd love for it to be huge.

A lot of people don't really understand what goes into making a record and how long it takes. Can you give us an idea of what that process has looked like for you all as far as coming up with the ideas and then putting the album together?

Jon: Some of the songs were ideas from years ago where we were like, "Hey we have this musical hook. Hey we have this idea and let's smash them together a song." So some of the songs were years... ‬

Chad: ...eight years in the making. 

Jon: Yeah and then some of them were just, boom, walk into a writing session and then a few hours later walk out with completed song. I think that's kind of how it always goes. Sometimes you get a song quickly, and sometimes it takes a long time. As far as the production of the record, a lot of it was actually recorded on our tour bus.‬

Chad: We tracked a lot of it on the road in green rooms and stuff like that because of deadlines. I think most time consuming part of making a record is writing the songs and making sure you have songs that you love and songs that you want people to hear. So that that's the biggest process. Nowadays, you don't have to go into a major studio like Blackbird in Nashville or anything like that. You can do it. You can do a lot of it. All of our producers have studios in their houses. And yeah we might go to a big studio to track one thing, but I think the recording process is something that can be a lot quicker than the songwriting process. 

Jon: Especially in our market too because Christian music is so lyric-driven, and crafting the lyrics takes the longest. The production and musical phase always takes weeks compared to months of writing. 
 
What would you want a listener to walk away with after listening to your record?

Chad: I would say to remember that God alone is worthy of our attention, our gifts, our talents, and our praise, and that only He can satisfy the desires of our hearts. I want listeners to walk away inspired to dream big and to believe God for big things but also to accept where we are and be grateful for it now. I think those are some of the big themes to me at least. That's what I'm taking away from a lot of this. I mean it's praise. It's expectation. It's dreaming big. ‬It's also the day by day power to be content. Stay close to God.‬‬

Jon: And follow through.

Chad: And follow through on our commitments to the Lord. That's the title track, and we've always wanted to write a song called "Follow Through" but never could find a good way to do it. We were finally able to do it. It's just that that idea to finish strong.‬ It's been 13 years since we started, and we want to have the same passion now as we had 13 years ago. Along the way it's gotten skewed a little bit with the highs and the lows, but we want to finish strong, stronger than we were. We want to follow through with all that we've committed to the Lord and all the work that we've done and all the things we've committed to our families and our own personal growth. 

You talk a lot about the highs and the lows, and a lot of musicians going into it don't really understand how that works. How long were you guys unsigned and working two jobs? How long has it taken you to just get to this point where you can just play music and go on tour and make albums?

Chad: A decade. I mean there are a lot more lows than there are highs; believe me. But we always tell people that if you're in it to serve the Lord, then your mindset should be, "It shouldn't matter what I'm doing. It shouldn't matter how I'm doing it. It's just about being faithful to God," because this is your passion. This is what you feel called to do. So I think a lot of us have an idea of how we think it's going to go. This is true for life--period, and God switches it up on us. But it's a lot of work, and you do it because you feel called to it, because you're passionate about it, and because you want to be faithful to God with what He has given you. However he blows it up or keeps it small or grows it, whatever he decides, he's sovereign. 

Our job isn't to serve God because of what He may do. It's to serve Him because He is worthy. We are grateful for what He has done for us, and we just want to give back to Him. I just think that it's a total mindset thing. There's going to be a lot more lows than highs. Even still now. But there's a lot to look back to and be thankful for. And of course all of those years have made us who we are and have tested our faith. James says that the testing of our faith develops perseverance, and we must go through these things to become like Jesus. We must persevere, so I think that's just life.‬

And my last question for you all: What are your goals in the long term as a band?‬

Chad: That's the tricky thing; we don't know. ‬We as human beings, we don't know what we want. I can dream, and I think to dream is a necessity, but ultimately our prayer is, "Lord Your will be done. Your sovereign plan, let that be done." 

I mean I hope to be headlining shows and to be selling lots of records because I know if we're doing those things, we are reaching our culture and making music that is current and impactful and full of truth. We just had a meeting with the head of iTunes yesterday, and we're just saying with all of the music that's out there, with all of the messages that are in the mainstream market and stuff, our music is like a beacon of light. It's an encouragement to not follow the crowd, to live at a different standard than your friends, and to receive the blessings that come from living like that. 

My goal is to continue to impact people, to continue to bring God glory, to be a light, and whatever that looks like--whether we're headlining or we're in the same spot, we'll be thankful to be doing this as long as He's called us to do it. I want to sell a million records, have five buses, have awesome production, headline the tours. All those things I want to do, but I don't know what what's good for me. ‬So I dream, but I also say, "Your will be done."

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