Album Review :
Sower - THE SEED

After Sower first came on my radar earlier this year with debut EP THE SOIL, I was greeted with a collection of songs that were both sonically refreshing and biblically-literate. Project mastermind Eric Tuffendsam describes the project as “biblical indie rock” and the emphasis here is two-fold: these aren’t your musically-tame church songs, nor are they lyrically esoteric like many modern rock songs. Sower has something to say, but, to borrow from the defunct Attalus, “the music is original but the words aren’t.” Sower relies on the Bible as historically understood to create a sort of musical catechism that walks through the fundamentals of the Christian faith.

So, what is THE SEED? In short, it’s the story of the Gospel – the past, present, and future of God’s people. The thing many people claim to believe yet cannot articulate (often due to anemic teaching). Thankfully, these four songs lay out the essentials – the “CREATION” of the world, God’s good design, and our humanly communion with Him; the “FALL” of Adam and Eve that left the world in disarray and continues to haunt us; the “REDEMPTION” offered by the cross and resurrection; and the “RESTORATION” of the world into a perfected state once again.

“CREATION” kicks things off with an ambient underbelly before recounting the story of, well, creation. Tuffendsam walks through God making animals before singing, “Let there be light!” The track continues to build, with arpeggios and backing vocals. The next verse talks through the creation of people and their command to take dominion of the earth. Strings, drums, and additional guitar and vocal layers all build as things reach their apex at the track’s end. There are further declarations of, “Let there be light!” and a segment about how all of creation points to God’s glory. Much like the previous EP, the production here is excellent and the use of layering and doubling lends toward the actual context of the story – starting with the first creative act to people and animals multiplying and filling the earth. The mood is serene and majestic and definitely captures the wonder of the scene.

Sadly, the created world is quickly tarnished, and “FALL” walks listeners through the consequences. This track is immediately heavier, with overdriven guitars, grittier post-hardcore riffs, and galloping drums. Things quiet down into a spooky barrenness as Tuffendsam cants the tale of the serpent’s temptation and mankind’s neglect. Things kick in full-force on the chorus – “Mankind fell into sin eating the fruit forbidden. Wanting to be like God, they cursed Him and us.” There’s almost a pop punk flavor, but the riffs kick back in afterwards. The rest of the song walks through several Scripture goalposts about our guilt and defiance of God. The track has a lot of dynamic, but I think the most appropriate comparison might be some of Spoken’s more recent work (even the vocal cadence toward the end sound like Matt Baird). There isn’t too much rock, nor is there too much quietude, and this does an apt job at showing both the absence of goodness and the presence of wickedness. My only critique is that the chorus lyrics almost feel a little weak to me. I know there’s a limitation when trying to stay true to Scripture, but the parts that are verbatim quotes seem to actually flow a bit better. “Eating the fruit forbidden” just seems like unnatural phrasing. That’s certainly not enough to soil the track (no pun intended) but it certainly is something that stood out to me.

“REDEMPTION” dials things back, starting out with, “Down in a manger, how sweet the sound,” speaking to Christ’s condescension. The soft veneer is quickly pulled back as the the track erupts with the cry, “Jesus went to the cross in our place. He took on our shame, our pain, our just punishment for sin.” After walking through the resurrection and ascension, the track continues onward with a punchy pace, quoting Isaiah, Hebrews, and more. There’s even a bit of screaming portion during the bridge that has a bit of a Defeater/Touche Amore flavor to it and reminds me a bit of My Epic’s “Lower Still”. The track ends on another pop-punk type segment, and the background call-and-response vocals only cement this feeling. “Stop pretending to be fine and start believing,” Tuffendsam quips before the song trails off to a soft close. This is definitely the song that covers the most ground on the EP, but Tuffendsam can’t seem to hide his love for turn-of-the-century pop punk beneath it all. This isn’t a bad thing, but it definitely manifests in some of the production choices.

“RESTORATION” closes things out, and, at over eight minutes long, it occupies a similar place to the closing track off the previous EP. Things start off immediately fast and triumphant and lyrics longing look forward to seeing the Lord in person. There’s a post-rock vibe through much of the center of track, seeing things eventually build as Tuffendsam exclaims, “The earth is groaning!” There’s something about the vocals on this track that feel filtered and a bit flat until things liven up a bit around the 60% mark. The end is quiet and orchestral and features throwbacks to the previous songs: “All of creation proclaims His glory,” “Jesus went to the cross in our place,” and “He can save anyone” all interweave until things close on marching drums that fade into strings and keys.

Ultimately, THE SEED picks up well from where THE SOIL left off. Tuffendsam weaves in biblical references left and right, walking through God’s design, humanity’s rejection, Christ’s sacrifice, and the restored world to come. The songs are thoughtful and catchy, and I’m pretty sure they’ll help some listeners with their Scripture memory as well. Musically, there are a number of styles at play, but fans of mid-2000s emo, post-hardcore, and indie will find much to love on this release. Arguably, the risks are bigger this time around on all fronts and there’s perhaps a bit less “rock” than THE SOIL. Still, this seems to be very much in line with the Sower ethos of bold arrangements, unpredictable changeups, and stellar production. Across its runtime, the EP gives us the story of redemption orchestrated with the sort of precision that is only possible with the level of experience from years in the studio. Perhaps my biggest question is on the EP format – four songs works well for the concept, but with THE SOIL releasing only months ago, it feels like one release might cannibalize the other. But in a world where what it means to be a Christian has basically become amorphous, there is no nuance here. Sower provides a refreshing level of clarity on spiritual matters, all paired with a refreshing and diverse rock sound.

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