"The Lining Is Silver" by Relient K, Saturday, August 19, 2023

When Relient K had been together for ten years, they decided to treat their avid fans with some of their best scrapped tracks on 2008's The Birds and the Bee Sides. But the album wasn't exactly a straight b-sides project, but rather called a "double EP"--a combination of new tracks recorded for a project called the Nashville Tennis EP and their b sides spanning from their the time of their second record, The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek; tracks from out-of-print EPs; and rarities from special editions of their commercial second era, Mmhmm and Five Score and Seven Years Ago. While a release like The Birds and the Bee Sides certainly plays into boyish Relient K wit that made the band famous, the experimental songs on the Nashville Tennis EP show a notable shift in the band's musical output. 

I FOUND MY NEW BLACK SHOES WHILE CLEANING OUT THE BONES LEFT IN MY CLOSET.  Relient K started out as three small-town friends who signed a record deal. The band had revolving drummers, but until their mainstream breakthrough record, Mmhmm, the lineup was solidly lead singer Matt Thiessen, guitarist Matt Hoopes, and bassist Brian Pittman. But as the band entered their second era, Pittman left the band and other members joined; such as seasoned musician Ethan Luck who was a pivotal member in the major Christian Rock bands The O.C. Supertones, Project 86, and Demon Hunter. These additional Relient K members record vocals on the Nashville Tennis EP, like the single "The Last, The Lost, The Least," which features vocals by bassist John Warne.  Guitarist Johnathan Schneck sings the country "Bee Your Man," Hoopes sings "You'll Always Be My Friend," and Luck sings "No Reaction." While these novelty songs may not be staples in the golden age of Relient K, they are breadcrumbs for fans in the future who will have to endure many more twists in the Relient K sound. After all, a band that can change lead singers or do a country tune next to tracks of sincerity will be the band that takes Christian audiences on a cautionary tale about cheating the next year. and then celebrates a worldly lifestyle in Collapsable Lung in 2013. 

I FOUND A LIST OF FLAWS. "The Lining Is Silver" is an optimistic track on an optimistic record. All Relient K albums were pretty much optimistic until Forget and Not Slow Down, though. Sure, we've had moments of pensive Matt Thiessen singing songs like "Getting Into You," on their third album Two Lefts Don't Make a Right...But Three Do and the hits "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been" and "Forgiven."But what I notice in "The Line Is Silver" is a choice of optimism. Furthermore, I notice the guitar tone of the song is similar to the next album's "Therapy," a song that sees Thiessen "driving through the country just to drive" following a break up with his ex-fiancé. We all go through hard times. Sometimes, it's easier to look on the bright side--to ignore the "bones in your closet." Other times, you are overwhelmed by those feelings. The lining doesn't feel silver on days like that. "The Lining Is Silver" is a reminder in those dark days that everything is temporary. We have to hold on to the belief that "we are golden on the inside." Like Theissen, some of us feel obligated to push happiness as far as we can, but that's not healthy. He had built his Christian music brand on optimism, but personally he deals with a lot beneath the surface of the sunny lyrics. Let yourself feel all the emotions and let things work out for themselves. After all, the lining is silver.

Read “The Lining Is Silver” by Relient K on Genius