"Upbeat punk" sounds like an oxymoron, but that's what you get with Galactic Conquest, the second release from Greenville, South Carolina Christian trio EleventySeven. Upon that punk base is more pop than rock, more dance than aggression, and more monophonic synthesizer than you can shake a stick at. The optimistic feel extends as well beyond the music to encompass the lyrical themes in an air of hopefulness. And energetic? If this music doesn't lift your spirits and move your body, you might already be dead. The first single, "Love In Your Arms," gets things off to a vigorous start with the combination of fast tempo, guitar riff, and octave-spanning synth runs you can expect to hear in quantity throughout the record. Matt Langston (vocals, guitar), Caleb Satterfield (bass), Jonathan Stephens (drums) are obviously having fun, and that attitude is infectious. The electronically modulated vocals (which thankfully don't return for another nine tracks) set an otherworldly mood but stop short of being annoyingly inhuman. Thematically, they don't want others telling them who to be (a disposition also reflected in "Fight To Save Your Life") and recognize a Savior that was waiting for them all along. They don't shy away from complications of spiritual entanglement, as they conclude "religion can be so overrated/but all I know is now I am free". That's the first hint of weightiness among the playfulness, and their most audacious statement can be found on "12 Step Programs", a thought-provoking plea to "take back all your self-help programs" and bold indictment of medication: "I'm almost positive these pills are the only thing that ever made me ill". It's a scathing look at self-absorption and the need to face consequences for your actions, with the call to seek answers beyond one's limited means ("It was self that got me here in the first place/The self that me taught how to replace everything I know with every other option but the only right way to go").
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Galactic Conquest - Eleventyseven
