Listen to the Sound

On their fifth album, Building 429 displays the same Christian commitment and guitar-fueled energy that made their 2004 hit “Glory Defined” so memorable. The band’s sound is crisp and tight here and lead singer Jason Roy adds to the album’s sense of honest, reality-grounded expression by drawing upon his recent experiences as a worship pastor. Tracks like “Made for You,” “One Foot” and “Awaken Us” deal with questions of faith in hard times, underscoring their themes with hard-cracking drums and searing guitars. Even stronger is “Right Beside You,” an uplifting call for unity featuring Firelight’s Dawn Michele on co-lead vocals. Listen to the Sound offers some effective sonic contrasts, adding synthesizer embellishments in spots and laying down sparse, acoustic-driven grooves (most effectively in “Love Has Been Spoken”). Interwoven with the chorus hooks and insistent rhythms is a message of earthly conflict (especially in “War Zone”) and eventual salvation. Building 429’s ability to capture a believer’s struggles makes Listen to the Sound rewarding to hear.