When brothers, Ben and Bill Kristijanto, Tim Barnes, and Wesley Holt decided to come together as Bread Of Stone, their mission was much more than creating music. As Independent musicians, they not only write, produce, and perform their own music, but they also promote "The Light Project", a ministry they founded for the underprivileged in Indonesia. With the release of The Real Life, Bread Of Stone aims to remind listeners that though the world constantly tries to pull us in different directions, our lives should stay centered on Christ and His truths.

 

"Hold On" is not only the first track, but also the first single of the album. Serving as a great introduction to the band’s electronic rock vibe and rhythmic guitars, Ben Kristijanto sings the encouraging chorus, "Hold on / When you just can’t face another day / Hang on / When your faith is gone and you don’t know why / Stand on / What you believe / Follow the One that leads / Never let go / Just hold on." With a variation of rhythms amidst guitar, piano, and drums, sounds that don’t seem like they should go together, actually do and make for a very interesting mixture of instruments and electronic distortions.

 

Title track, "The Real Life" starts out with piano and electronic strings as Kristijanto questions, "Are you ready for the real life / For all the questions in your world / Are you looking for an answer / There’s only One / There’s only One." This entire record, is about the daily struggles we all go through, but this song in particular cuts to the heart of the matter--what is at the center of it all? Ending in echoes of "Are you looking for the real life?" the lyric leaves the listener to answer that question for themselves.

 

Slower tracks, "The Line" and "I’ll Be" have more of a contemplative feel, as well as less of an electronic vibe, but still keep the same hopeful and truth-laden lyrics as the other tracks.

 

"Supernatural" starts out slow with echoing guitars and distorted static sounds, then gets more upbeat and rhythmic as Kristijanto sings the chorus, "When you touched me I got a feeling / Something within my soul / It was like no other feeling / Like a love bomb falling in the dead of night / A supernova of healing light / I got a feeling / It’s supernatural healing." Though I haven’t heard anyone describe this kind of experience in these exact terms, it definitely paints an accurate picture of how God’s healing power can have such an impact and at times be overwhelming.

 

If Michael Tait (Newsboys and dcTalk) and David Zach (Remedy Drive) decided to create a record together, it may sound something like The Real Life. With truth-laden lyrics and a symphony of sounds, each song is different and unique, which is hard to come by these days. Bread Of Stone may not be a band many have heard of yet, but if The Real Life is any example of the creative musicianship this quartet has to offer, don’t be surprised if you start hearing much more from them.