Independent

Release Date: June 12th 2020

Reviewed by: Joshua Andre

Colony House– When the Walls Come Crashing Down (feat. Jon Foreman & Jillian Edwards) – Single (Amazon mp3/iTunes)

Track Listing:

1. When the Walls Come Crashing Down (feat. Jon Foreman & Jillian Edwards)

Reflective introspective music and me at times haven’t gelled that well. Apart from personal, honest and emotional worship and Christian music; sometimes hearing a mellow track that doesn’t explicitly speak about Jesus, more often than not doesn’t resonate with me right away. Normally with songs other than ‘Christian’ songs, it takes a while for me to be fully immersed into the message and heart of slower, reflective, mid-tempo ballads. It’s different with upbeat pop songs, as you’re dancing and toe tapping away to the catchy beat- but with songs that have less of a radio format; these tracks aren’t that polished and hence not as engaging from first listen. Yet there is a song from this year which has immediately piqued my interest, and has extremely inspired and impacted, especially during COVID-19. While we’ve all been isolating and quarantining at home, I’ve found a number of albums from the first half of the year that have each resonated with me a bit more now as opposed to when they first released; it is in my own opinion that there is no other album to inspire, to comfort, to encourage, to provide hope to us in this time, than Colony House’s January album- their third project Leave What’s Lost Behind, produced by Ben Shive. The same can be said of their latest hit single “When The Walls Come Crashing Down”, featuring Jon Foreman and Jillian Edwards on guest vocals.

Everything we write about is observational and personal. It’s the journal, entries of our souls and the thoughts that we’re having in regard to what we’re seeing. Like our new song [“When the Walls Come Crashing Down” featuring Jon Foreman and Jillian Edwards], we thought was written about the world shutting down and a pandemic happening. The observation there was, who would have thought that I could walk by a stranger and been like, “How are you doing?”, and they know exactly what I’m referring to. That’s a weird phenomenon that has never happened. There’s a weird connection that all of a sudden you have with everyone else in the whole world.

Now the lyric of this song has changed over the last week or two in regards to the Black Lives Matter movement. That is not a new movement at all, but I think it’s finally being given an appropriate spotlight. And that’s what I love about music and lyrics. This song was written long before these protests and now, it takes on this whole new meaning. There’s a lyric about holding the match while covered in ashes. And this idea that so often we’re looking around us at what the problem is. Why are there fires raging around us? And then you look down and you’re like, “Oh, I’m the one holding the match. I started this fire.”

So the lyrics take on a new meaning. So many times, artists are coming from it as like, “Here’s my solution.” That’s a bold statement. What’s put us all on our heels in a really beautiful way is we’re all having to go “Not only do we not have the answers right now, but we are a big part of the problem and we never knew it.” That’s scary and exciting as a writer. To be like, “How am I going to communicate something that is empowering and hopeful, but also convicting?”

I think if we’re humble in how we approach communicating with people, there will be more profound things than we could even plan on writing. And that’s what excites me.

Everything about this song essentially is summarised in this above quote from Caleb Chapman for Relevant Magazine. “When The Walls Come Crashing Down” was written about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, yet now is applicable to the Black Lives Matter protests- and in actuality, this track can be applied in almost every inconceivable heartache and struggle. Driven by stirring acoustic guitar and keys, this mid-tempo ballad earnestly relays the unity and the togetherness that is present amongst the world at the moment. And as we make sense of the calamity and the chaos around us, wondering what is God’s plan, the quartet eloquently remind us also that adversity holds us all together, that this pandemic has made us all equal and us realise the fragility of life. We were complacent before- but not now. We were inward looking- but not now. We were selfish and only worried about ourselves- but not now. And hence, “When The Walls Come Crashing Down” is needed to be heard by everyone- it puts our own troubles in perspectives yet also shine a light on our inadequacies and shortcomings, asking us what can we do to change the outcome of a life not fulfilled to potential.

Is Colony House being passed the baton of rock music from Switchfoot? It sure seems like it here. For me there’s no fault with this song- it’s actually one of the most impactful and hopeful songs of 2020! As we are glimpsed into one of the finest storytelling pieces of just pure art- that will live on and on and on in the hearts of many; if you’re not a fan of Colony House by the end of this exquisite listening experience, then you probably never will be! Will, Caleb, Scott and Parke have created something special here, and something to be proud of. So jump on the band wagon, everyone… I think I’ve convinced you all enough! If not, then listen to Leave What’s Lost Behind!

Score: 5/5

RIYL: Needtobreathe, U2, for KING & COUNTRY, Delirious?, Lifehouse, Sanctus Real, Relient K, Echosmith