Third Day set to deliver 11th studio project 'Move'

Anticipation is building for the October 19 release of acclaimed rock band Third Day’s latest project Move.

Third Day delivers its soul-stirring 11th studio album, showcasing members Mac Powell, Mark Lee, Tai Anderson and David Carr at their melodic and lyrical best, peering insightfully at life within the church as well as pointedly seeking to understand the needs and questions of those without faith.

Third Day succeeds in speaking candidly and hopefully to listeners of every stripe, challenging each not just to a place of faith – but a place of faith in action.

Produced by Paul Moak (Mat Kearney, Matt Maher), the 12-track offering has been described by early listeners as “visceral and gritty; reminiscent of the acclaimed band’s Time record”.

The project leads with the incendiary first single “Lift Up Your Face” – featuring The Blind Boys of Alabama – which has claimed more than 3.1 million impressions this week alone. To date, the song has 91 AC & CHR stations spinning and is No 17 on the National Christian Audience Chart, No 17 on the AC Monitored Chart, No 20 on the AC Indicator and No 17 at CHR.

Mac Powell, the band’s charismatic lead vocalist, explains, “The country is going through hard times, and there are doubts and insecurity. The message [of ‘Lift Up Your Face’] is our message of encouragement – not just to listeners though—to us as well. It’s a message we all need to hear and I think that really sums up a lot of what we were going for with this record.”

Musically, MOVE delivers songs that are rootsy, soulful and riveting, taking full advantage of Third Day’s longstanding rock influence. Yet the sound retains an edgy authenticity that’s incredibly timely as heard in the raw and addictive, “Make Your Move.”

Additional highlight tracks include the worshipful “Children of God,” “Gone,” “Surrender” and “Follow Me There.”

Each song is lyrically inspiring with hints at Third Day’s southern roots from the slide guitar and hand claps, reminiscent of Tom Petty, to the layers of smokey vocals.

Of the new album, Powell adds, “There are a lot of songs that [come from] a believer talking to people outside of the walls of the church and then there are several songs that find people outside of the walls of the church looking in through the windows of the church, trying to see what’s going on and asking those questions like ‘do you really believe this? I need you to prove this to me because I want it to be true, but I just don’t believe it right now.’”

It’s hard not to believe once a listener is enveloped within the driving drums and exuberant delivery of gospel-tinged “Follow Me There” or challenged by the guitar-picking, hand-clapping, in-your-face classic, “Surrender.”

Still, songs like the worshipful “Children of God” and “Trust in Jesus,” recall the band’s deep connections to offerings birthed from the heart of the church. And on tracks like “Sound of Your Voice,” it’s as if Third Day’s members momentarily forget the audience is even listening and are simply singing praise from the deepest shadows of their own souls.