On the lead single from their ninth studio album FADING WEST, Grammy Award-winning alt-rock band Switchfoot look back to a time when they’d just begun to push toward their dreams of bringing their music to the world. Featuring choir-like backing vocals from the band members’ children—as well as the blend of edgy atmospherics and bright, breezy melodies that’s become a hallmark of Switchfoot’s emotionally intelligent and uplifting brand of rock—“Who We Are” embodies both a sweetly youthful spirit and the hard-won, highly impassioned joy that comes from triumphing through 17 years as a band.
FADING WEST was ultimately born on the road and in the waves. While touring in support of their 2011 album VICE VERSES, the longtime surfers set out in search of songwriting inspiration by visiting several of their favorite surf breaks around the world. “The idea was to surf, write songs, play music, and see what ideas came,” explains Tim. Traveling to Jeffreys Bay and Crayfish Factory in South Africa, Bronte Beach in Australia, Raglan in New Zealand, and Uluwatu in Bali, the band threw themselves into a voyage both physical and emotional—an endeavor they chronicled in a documentary film also entitled Fading West—and soon found themselves infusing new energy, soul, and sound into their music.