Anberlin’s fifth studio album, Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place, was produced by Brendan O’Brien in Blackbird Studios.
The album title itself reflects the themes and lyrical content of the record, offering a soothing listen into their emotions and adventures of which some of the record is based around. Using their usual simplistic musical approach, it allows your imagination to run wild and conjure up our own though as Anberlin emphasise the method of letting the words speak for themselves.
Having crafted a variety of different combinations, yet ensuring they all follow similar conventions to keep a consistent style throughout, songs like “Impossible” make you think you’ve turned on a Jimmy Eat World record, whereas “Take Me (As You Found Me)” sounds like a cross between The Killers with a 90s pop ballad. It picks up the pace with the rhythmic synchronized drumming found in “Pray Tell,” encouraging you to clap along.
With slick and enticing guitar riffs, layered with beautiful soaring vocals, the album consists of acoustic ballads mixed amongst their renowned alternative rock sound.
It conveys the progression of maturity and growth the band has embraced since they first started back in 2002. Anberlin have certainly stepped up a notch with this record, and you can only hope that they continue to evolve, getting strong and more defying with every step.