In the peak MySpace era, a Christian Rock group made Christian music palatable with their authentic music and being the answer to mainstream groups such as Switchfoot and Coldplay, and that group was Texas’ own The Afters. Back in 2008, The Afters reached the pinnacle of their success with their Dove-award winning album “Never Going Back To OK”.
“Never Going Back To OK” is full of guitar pop and tasty harmony in the vocals possessed by frontman/guitarist Josh Havens, with Matt Fuqua and Brad Wigg providing the harmony in the background vocals. They were riding a wave of success due to their MTV classic “Beautiful Love” and they were also featured on the hit television show American Idol with the song “We Are The Sound”.
Their music is accessible to all audiences, Christian or secular. The lyrics aren’t preachy, yet they brought a message of hope and love that one would expect to hear when listening to Christian Rock music. Songs such as “Tonight” and “The Secret” have tasty guitar licks, while “Falling Into Place” and “Beautiful Words” unabashedly spoke of their hope in Christ in a loving sort of way.
I enjoy groups like The Afters, where you can hear them on the radio as well as hear them at a youth group gathering on a Wednesday night. Their songs speak of love and hope, and that is really needed in seemingly darker times that we live in. The Afters just write great songs that were powerful and songs that people could relate to. It’s plain to see why this album won a Dove award for album of the year, and it peaked at No. 41 on the Billboard 200. Madness To Creation rates this a solid 8 out of 10 stars. Here is the track listing:
- The Secret Parade
- Never Going Back To OK
- Keeping Me Alive
- Tonight
- Ocean Wide
- MySpace Girl
- We Are The Sound
- Falling Into Place
- Beautiful Words
- Forty-Two
- Summer Again
- One Moment Away
The Afters have a couple of one-off gigs this summer. Check out the gig dates below:
Sat. 7/13- Olathe Community Park in Olathe, Colorado
Sat. 8/10- Canadian Southern Baptist & Seminary College in Cochrane, Canada
Also, check out the single to “Well Done”, which stems from their current release “The Beginning & Everything After” below.
Fans can find THE AFTERS at the following locations:
