Forever Now

Forever Now is Switchfoot’s fourteenth full-length studio album, and their follow-up to 2022’s This Is Our Christmas Album and 2021’s Interrobang, neither of which are among my favorite albums by the band. Fortunately, Forever Now, a loose concept album about the final day of Mr. Crow’s life, is a triumph. Interestingly, the band drew inspiration for the songs from novelists such as Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky.
The album sounds like classic Switchfoot, with electric guitars ramped up and buzzing throughout, making Forever Now perhaps their hardest rocking record. At the same time, the songs feature memorable hooks. The album was produced by Mike Elizondo, who also produced their albums Hello Hurricane and Vice Verses.
Among the themes on the album include doubt, beautiful lives, darkness and light, questions, being made in the image of God, being born for something more, and death.
Here are a few comments about each song:
Wake Up, Mr. Crow – This rocker was written by Jon Foreman and Tim Foreman. The song features electric guitar, drums, and bass. Jon Foreman has said that the song is an alarm clock of a song to begin one’s last day, facing the dissonant music of our stra...

Forever Now is Switchfoot’s fourteenth full-length studio album, and their follow-up to 2022’s This Is Our Christmas Album and 2021’s Interrobang, neither of which are among my favorite albums by the band. Fortunately, Forever Now, a loose concept album about the final day of Mr. Crow’s life, is a triumph. Interestingly, the band drew inspiration for the songs from novelists such as Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky.
The album sounds like classic Switchfoot, with electric guitars ramped up and buzzing throughout, making Forever Now perhaps their hardest rocking record. At the same time, the songs feature memorable hooks. The album was produced by Mike Elizondo, who also produced their albums Hello Hurricane and Vice Verses.
Among the themes on the album include doubt, beautiful lives, darkness and light, questions, being made in the image of God, being born for something more, and death.
Here are a few comments about each song:
Wake Up, Mr. Crow – This rocker was written by Jon Foreman and Tim Foreman. The song features electric guitar, drums, and bass. Jon Foreman has said that the song is an alarm clock of a song to begin one’s last day, facing the dissonant music of our strange times.
Key lyric:
Rise and shine
The morning sun like a warning sign
We've been living in strange times
Absolution – This rocker was written by Jon Foreman and Tim Foreman. The song features electric guitar, drums, bass, and a memorable hook. Jon Foreman has said that the song is the post-modern cry for the post-modern crisis. His hope is that the song is an encouragement to ask the big questions. My favorite song on the album.
Key lyric:
Are you the real thing?
Or just a daydream?
Feel like I'm fighting against the fight of no solution
And could you save me
When I'm angry, lonely, scared?
Could you become the place I run, my absolution?
Beautiful Life – This mid-tempo song was written by Jon Foreman and Tim Foreman. The song features backing vocals, guitars, drums, keys, bass, and a memorable hook. It’s a beautiful life, bitter and sweet.
Key lyric:
Remember this
That you’re never alone in the fight
Remember this
In the darkness, there’s always a light
Shake The Dust – This rocker was written by Jon Foreman, Tim Foreman, and Mike Elizondo. The song features some excellent electric guitar, drums, and bass. Only love outlasts the living.
Key lyric:
Shake the dust, shake the dust
When the world you used to trust
Is in pieces all around you
It’s not what you thought it was
Natural Causes – This rocker was written by Jon Foreman. The song features guitar, drums and bass. He can’t accept that they were meant to fall away.
Key lyric:
Fade away
Nothing that I hold is mine
From dust to dust
Love and only love survives
These natural causes
YFWYA – This upbeat rocker (“You Forgot Who You Are”), was written by Jon Foreman. The song features some nice electric guitar, drums, and bass and speaks of being made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).
Key lyric:
You were made in the image of the one who loves you
More than the cause that you place above your time
Same Blood – This rather dark rocker was written by Jon Foreman. The song features electric guitar, drums, bass, and a distorted lead vocal.
Key lyric:
The same fear and fate
When I open up my eyes
It’s a different day
But the same old fight
It’s always the same blood
Running in my veins, love
Ride Or Die – This song was written by Jon Foreman and Tim Foreman. The song features some good electric guitar, drums and bass.
Key lyric:
It hurts so good but I don’t mind
It ain’t gold just because it shines
Prove me wrong, and you prove me right
Be my ride or die
Darkness – This upbeat song was written by Jon Foreman. The song features some good electric guitar, bass and drums.
Key lyric:
‘Cause tonight I swim in oceans untamed
She’s mine and I am hers
And we both float the same
And somewhere in the darkness
I hear you call my name
Meet me in the darkness
Broken Wings – This rocker was written by Jon Foreman and Tim Foreman. The song features some good electric guitar, bass, and drums. He can swear that he was born for something more.
Key lyric:
Cause I don’t want to hide my wings any more
Tonight I embrace that flight and I soar
Could you show me what these broken wings are for?
Two Twins – This rocker was written by Jon Foreman. The song features some good electric guitar, bass, and drums. The song is a tale of two twins in their mother’s womb, talking back and forth inside that room.
Key lyric:
He said, “No brother
There ain’t
No other world”
Breaking Up Again – This song was written by Jon Foreman. The song has the sound of a Jon Foreman solo song and features acoustic guitar.
Key lyric:
The flip side of faith is doubt
But I’m the one I can’t figure out
The Butterfly Effect – This song was written by Jon Foreman and Tim Foreman. The song features keys, backing vocals, drums, bass, and electric guitar. The song connects the album together by calling back to the opening song "Wake Up, Mr. Crow". The song is about a car accident and Mr. Crow’s final moments.
Key lyric:
My life flashed in front of my
(Wake up, Mr. Crow!)
Favorite songs:
Absolution
Beautiful Life
YFWYA
Broken Wings