THE SEED by Sower
Thoughts on a sophomore EP of an indie rock project that deserves to be heard.
Hi Pal,
Welcome all newcomers. And to everyone else, thanks for sticking around.
It’s taken a few months, but after two EP releases, I believe I have become much closer to Eric Tuffendsam and the heart behind his music via the moniker SOWER. I wrote a review for his debut EP, and we’re here to speak about the follow-up.
While the previous EP was a collection of tunes inspired by Christ’s first parable about the Kingdom in Matthew 13, this one focuses on the entirety of God’s cosmic plan for humanity from our inception into the deep unending recesses of eternity.
“CREATION” is an emo-infused chill indie rock tune inspired by the events of Genesis 1. As with the previous EP, I love how Tuffendsam lifts directly from scripture, opting not to sacrifice the potency of the words on the altar of artistic expression. I do not deny that there is a place for lyrical artistry and poetry within the Christian music landscape. However, it is easy to see how the directness of his lyrical approach contributes to the wholeness of the tapestry he is weaving with his music. I particularly love the closing choral section, with the words;
…all of creation
proclaims his glory
the streams and the mountains
are calling out to him
all of creation
proclaims his glory
the stars and the skies and
every living thing…
“FALL” comes next, and as you may have guessed, it is inspired by the events of Genesis 3. I love the pop-punk and emocore sensibilities on this one, and the driving riffs are so potent in some sections that I half expected to hear screams. I love how he uses other scriptures in the narrative, for example, when he says, ‘none is righteous, no not one…’ a clear reference to Romans 3:10-12. The song ends on a cliffhanger as he asks who could save us.
This leads to the track “REDEMPTION”, a song that succinctly expresses Christ’s birth, life and ultimate sacrifice as he fulfils his passion. Lyrically, it is the best song on the album because of the forthrightness of its message. I’ve listened to a lot of music on the scene over the years, and there are many incredible songs by amazing musicians that contain powerful messages. But sometimes you come across a tune that doesn’t have a message but is the message itself.
If the previous tune was the most lyrically astute, “RESTORATION” is my favourite song. It’s an 8-minute odyssey that hits all the right spots for me. As a huge fan of progressive rock and shoegaze, I enjoyed his incorporation of the structural elements of progressive music here and the dissonant guitars that permeate this record from start to finish. It’s a culmination of all the wonderful promises of God in scripture about the things to come at the end, written in some of the letters of Paul and the book of Revelation. It is a song of hope and a reminder of Christ’s deep love for all of us. I also love the way Tuffendsam brings back the outro of the first track as a final vamp for this one, wrapping up the journey in expert fashion.
I had a lot of good things to say about the first EP, and after spending enough time with this one, I can tell that SOWER will become a household name for Christians who love emo-infused indie rock in a few years. In terms of skill and musical chops, I can name a few artists who are creating in this genre on a similar level to Him.
However, when it comes to the commitment to the potency of the gospel message and his commitment to sticking to scripture, no one is doing it on this level. I do not doubt that this approach will deter some folks from listening to him, even Christians, who may love to keep their worship music and entertainment in two separate boxes.
But I’ve always believed that our adoration of Christ and expression of love for Him with music transcends genre classifications or sounds, and projects like SOWER prove that my convictions are true. Because if this isn’t worship, what is?
Genre(s): Indie Rock, Pop Punk, Emo Rock
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That’s it for today.
Catch you soon!
Feel free to leave a comment. Also, I am always open to hearing from you so feel free to send an email to me at stismavo@gmail.com