Midnight on Earthship

Released simultaneously with the more rock-oriented Hours, Midnight on Earthship finds Falling Up offering devotional music with an otherworldly twist. The album’s contemplative songs paint widescreen pictures of spiritual pilgrims reaching out to find God as they grapple with loneliness and confusion. Lead singer Jesse Ribordy’s vocals combine choirboy-like sweetness with an underlying pang of longing. Acoustic guitars and pianos dominate, with analog-style synthesizers and electronica beats brought in at key points. “Sky Circles,” “Down Here," and “Summer Song” achieve a melancholy eloquence in their portrayals of stranded believers seeking the light of faith. Particularly powerful is “Greyling Morning,” a slow, brooding track that’s both humble and heroic in tone. “Home” (a retelling of the prodigal-son parable) and “Bruise” (filled with sweeping, reverent imagery) help lighten the album’s often-somber mood. “Tomorrows”—a prayerful soul-cry sung to the Savior—closes the album with a burst of hope.