The most interesting songs on Switchfoot's expertly crafted 11th studio album, 2019's Native Tongue, are the ones that the band wrote for themselves. Sure, we get a handful of big-swinging rock numbers like the philosophically Zen opener "Let It Happen," the bright-toned fan appreciation song "All I Need," and the effusive midtempo anthem about letting God take control with his mercy "The Strength to Let Go." These are all catchy, well-produced songs full of grand chorus hooks and an underlying sense of spirituality that will most likely appeal to the band's longtime fans and anyone who jumped on board with 2003's The Beautiful Letdown. Furthermore, with the band having passed the 20-year mark (and gone on indefinite hiatus in 2017 after promoting Where the Light Shines Through), it's impressive that they are able to recapture much of their initial alt-rock buoyancy here. That said, it's fun to hear the band's primary songwriters, lead singer/guitarist Jon Foreman and his brother bassist Tim Foreman, explore what feel like more personal influences. To these ends, they draw upon the Beatles' woozy, '60s-style Baroque psychedelia on "Dig New Streams," pair with M83 vocalist Kaela Sinclair on the synthy, sweet-toned "The Hardest Art," and draw upon Harvest Moon-era Neil Young for the rootsy, piano-driven "Wonderful Feeling." Similarly, they evince Paul Simon's '70s playfulness with the jaunty acoustic singalong "We're Gonna Be Alright." Elsewhere, they dabble in Maroon 5-esque pop on the Ryan Tedder-co-write "Voices" and the hip-hop-inflected "Take My Fire." Native Tongue is a nicely cohesive album that lives up to the band's two-decades-long reputation for delivering heartfelt, uplifting pop/rock.
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