Young Oceans ‘Suddenly’

Written by: Laura Chambers (October 11, 2017)

If Christians are bound together by a rich tapestry of shared beliefs, Communion is a ever-recurring biscuit-crimson braid of threads woven throughout. It is Passover re-interpreted, the Crucifixion re-enacted, redemption remembered. In this sacred activity, we accept the torch from the faithful past and raise it high, declaring the death and resurrection of Christ until He returns for His bride. Young Oceans draws inspiration from Communion for the theme of Suddenly (or The Nuclear Sunburst of the Truth Revealed), which combines ancient thought with new perspectives on the struggle between what is and what will be.

Reminding me of Tenth Avenue North, “This Wild Earth” entreats God to manifest in either power or gentleness, as long as His life pours out upon us. All who are waiting for the chaos to be replaced with calm are encouraged to endure a little longer until the promised hope arrives. “Only The Sound” affirms that He has the power to capture our attention out of the midst of our sufferings and cares. Surrendering to Him, we feel and welcome His presence all around us. “Heaven Has Come” brings good news to the suffering and self-sacrificial ones mentioned in the beatitudes; heaven, in the form of Christ, has descended to dwell with us. The song pleads with God to show us the truth of these words for ourselves. “Are We Not One” makes several metaphorical comparisons between the children of God and the natural world. As creations of God united in our love for and belonging to Him, hope fills our lives despite the darkness surrounding us.

“Walls Come Down” prays for God’s deliverance from our sinful nature and the actions of others prompted by the same. These faults, like barriers, effectively divide us from each other where no division ought to exist. Instead of falling victim to these deceptions, may we advocate on behalf of those who are oppressed. “Have Mercy”, the shortest track on this album, calls on Him to have compassion on us and impart tranquility into our lives. The titular location of “Out Here” is a place of separation from God, where hypocrisy, lifelessness, dishonesty, and willful blindness reign. Recognizing the distance between us, we cry out for forgiveness, for Him to hear us from our exile. “Every Heart Is Open” reminds us that there’s a crack in the armor of each soul that God can enter in through.

“Suddenly” questions the nature and intentions of God, as we’re all wont to do at times in our lives. We believe Him but can’t see or feel proof of what we hold to be true. We wonder whether our inability to perceive is due to His quiet or our deafness, whether it’s the problem or the solution. The angst of this song mirrors a lot of the “where are You, God?” psalms, right down to a desperation to hear from Him that is strong enough to encourage us to wait in the dust for any shred of a reply. “Forever Yours” pictures the crucifixion of Christ for our sins – His complete humiliation – then weaves a version of the Lord’s prayer into the end. It seems kind of disjointed, as though it’s two different tracks trying to be one. A chorus would have helped smooth this out, or maybe if this had been the last track. Instead, “The Humility Of God” finishes the album by encouraging us to see God’s humbleness and respond with worship.

This album isn’t what I was expecting, but maybe I was defining Communion too narrowly. Suddenly seems to be more about what’s happening in our hearts, souls, and minds as we commune with God than the bread and wine itself – how we respond to it on a spiritual level. Young Oceans slows down time, unraveling the jumble of conflicting emotions and reactions inside so that we can examine each one individually, bringing them before God in hopes that He will restore clarity.

3.9/5