As a Christian kid in the early to mid 2000s, my list of favorite bands looked something like SuperChick, Barlow Girl, Family Force 5 and Relient K. Those four bands were by far my top favorites in elementary and early middle school, but my taste for most of them dwindled significantly as I got older… Except for Relient K. My best friends loved Relient K too, and as we grew up we discovered all of their music, even what was made before we were born.

In 2007, my family took a trip to the mall a few days after Christmas. We spent some time in a bookstore and my older sister bought a CD called Five Score and Seven Years Ago, by some band named Relient K. She was excited about it, and because I mirrored everything she did, I was excited too. On the car ride home we popped it in the CD player and heard songs like “Plead the Fifth,” “Crayons Can Melt On Us for All I Care” and “Devastation and Reform.” My little 8 year old mind fell in love with the sounds and words that I barely even understood. I made up my own meanings for ideas that were too big for me, and memorized the words to every song.

Somewhere along the road of me growing up, in between crushes and middle school drama, learning to wear makeup and trying to figure out my own faith, Relient K became a permanent part of my life. So many other things in my life changed and left, but my love for Relient K only grew. The songs I had loved at eight years old somehow took on new meanings and emotions for me at 10, 12, and 14. I was able to see them in concert at Six Flags Over Georgia when I was 12, and at the Masquerade in Atlanta when I was almost 16, and feel just as much excitement both times, just in different ways. Their music turned into something that felt like home to me. When I needed to feel comforted, I turned to those soothing words and melodies. Their songs map out my feelings about anything and everything significant that happened in my life for… As long as I can remember.

Relient K was still great to listen to off and on when I entered high school, but they weren’t an every day staple like they once had been. Collapsible Lung was released in 2013 and it was comforting to know that Thiessen was still around after all that time. But then three more years passed, and once again, they simply became a nostalgic stronghold. Something that I knew would never leave, but also something I wasn’t sure would continue to grow with me. My taste in music had been shaped significantly by Forget and Not Slow Down, and my perspective on life had been influenced by MMHMM. But now I had my taste and music and my perspective... What else could they offer me?

It seems like they knew I was asking that question, and they wanted to answer it. Because just a few weeks ago, Relient K dropped a jewel into the world that I can’t get over called Air for Free. Of course I was excited for this album, how could I not be? What I didn’t expect though, was the music to do for me what it had done so many years ago, at just eight years old. The songs immediately wove themselves into my own life, like they felt and understood everything going on in my head. They have a sophisticated and different sound, but something about it is overwhelmingly familiar. It seems like Matt and Matt (the two remaining/current band members) knew that trying to pull off something shockingly different wasn't a good idea. So instead, their music took on a quiet, beautiful, form that reflects their albums that I already love so much. This album is right up there with Forget and Not Slow Down and MMHMM, which were my favorite albums until Air for Free... Because do I dare say that Air for Free is now my favorite Relient K album? The voices are so familiar, but somehow they relate to my stage of life perfectly. I'm going to be a college freshman in just a few weeks, and I'm so excited for Relient K to come with me into these brand new experiences. When I look back on my freshman year, I know that Relient K will be one of the many things I think of, and that is so comforting to me. I also know that if I was eight years old right now, I'd be able to love "Air for Free" just like I loved "Five Score and Seven Years Ago." This is what beautiful music is. It goes beyond only reaching certain kinds of people. It reaches droves of people, and it can even reach one person for the majority of her life. It not only reaches out to her, but it becomes a part of her and fills her with truth that she carries with her forever.

So Relient K, Matt Thiessen and Matt Hoopes,

thank you for giving me a life of music that will never leave me. It means more than the world. Your music has become home for me in ways I can't explain.