Switchfoot

Following a standout set at Austin's South By Southwest Festival this past Friday (3/13), GRAMMY Award-winning beloved rock band Switchfoot has announced their forthcoming studio album Forever Now, due Friday, June 26. The body of work comes on the heels of their re-release of their 2003 album The Beautiful Letdown, also serving as the band's first new music in five years. Switchfoot gave the SXSW audience an exclusive inside look into the new album's sound, performing "Wake Up, Mr. Crow," the record's lead track set to release March 27.

"Making an album is like climbing a mountain -- an intentional step forward for the band and the story we are telling," shares bassist Tim Foreman. "The time between albums gave us space to rebuild our creative energy. And last year, we knew it was finally time to start climbing again."

Born from an intense and highly emotional period of songwriting, musical discovery as well as keen cultural observation, Forever Now is the most thematic and narrative-driven album of Switchfoot's already storied career. The band's fourteenth full-length studio LP -- produced by longtime collaborator and accomplished producer, Mike Elizondo -- centers on the emotional roller coaster of a person's final day on Earth. And more specifically, the questions one might ask themselves if confronted with that harsh but potentially enlightening reality. "If you were able to examine your whole life on your last day, how would you live it and what would you ask yourself?" Jon Foreman, lead vocals, said of the album's thematic throughline.

Forever Now also serves as the most guitar-driven album in years for the band. "This album is the first time in a while where we were distinctly excited about guitars again," continued the band. "Follow the joy has always been a phrase we hold dear to. And for this album, following the joy was picking up guitars. The electric guitar and our band were both born in California garages, and it felt like a homecoming of sorts to just play it loud."

Lead track "Wake Up, Mr. Crow" is an alarm clock of a song, ushering in a new era of urgent, guitar-driven Switchfoot. The juxtaposition of major versus minor throughout the track serves as a musically unsettling reminder of our "strange, strange times." The lyrics of the verses paint on the canvas of the dystopian daily routine -- the traffic, the caffeine, the political: "Rise and shine / The morning sun like a warning sign." The introspective still point of the song comes during the bridge, where the protagonist begins to question who he is: "Which of these voices is mine?" All leading to the climax of the song -- the title itself: "How do you feel? Wake up, Mr. Crow, how do you feel?"

Why make this kind of record? "Instead of chasing after what is profitable or lucrative, we wanted to look inward," explained the band. "To find the things that made us fall in love with rock and roll to begin with."

The new project adds to their extensive and widely known discography across thirteen studio albums, with over 10 million copies sold worldwide. In 2023, the award-winning band celebrated the 20th anniversary of their triple-Platinum album The Beautiful Letdown with a re-recording of the full record as well as a deluxe edition featuring guest features from artists like Tyler Joseph (Twenty One Pilots), Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic), Jon Bellion, Jonas Brothers and more.

Known for their impactful and captivating live show, Switchfoot will headline shows across the country throughout the year in addition to performances at festivals like BeachLife, Welcome To Rockville and the band's annual festival Bro-Am in June. Set in their hometown of San Diego, the Switchfoot Bro-Am Foundation is dedicated to giving back to the local community by heightening the profile of and providing grants to nonprofit organizations that support services to unhoused, at-risk and disadvantaged youth, with a special focus on programs related to music, art and surfing. For tickets or more information, please visit switchfoot.com.