Nightfall (2031)
Certified platinum. The level of irony in this album is palpable even to new fans. It is rumored that almost half of this chart-topping album was written about the events that transpired when Neverseen Records tried to lure Sencen away from the rest of the band, as well as Black Swan Records in general, a series of events that occurred in the four years between Neverseenand this album. Foster has confirmed that Lodestar and Nightfall were written and recorded in the middle of that struggle, which only makes songs like Jane Doe: Villain Extraordinaire, Caches, Left to Rot, and Family that much more impressive, considering they were penned in the midst of an internal struggle for the band.
"Too Far Away" || 4:02 || Released As Single || Lyrics by Sophie Foster and Edaline Ruewen || Rock ballad; expresses pop, indie, and alternative vibes as well; one guitar solo and two guitar-drums duets
Trivia: Sophie flew her parents out to Los Angeles so that they could write songs together; the song she wrote with her father, called "Catching" was not released on any album, but was released as a single three months after this album
"Gifts" || 3:12 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Opens with guitar riffs leading into a piano melody; lyrics start with happy moments, then sad ones, and a final bittersweet bridge held together by a definitive chorus
Trivia: Played exclusively at charity concerts following album release, but played at one pre-release interview
"Jane Doe: Villain Extraordinaire" || 4:49 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster, Fitz Vacker, Keefe Sencen, and Biana Vacker || Sassy, irreverent track that completely oozes disrespect; crosspick guitar; light drums
Trivia: Written about a few of the Neverseen Records execs the band met before being signed to Black Swan; when they met them again, over a decade later, Sophie was inspired to write a song
"Caches" || 4:32 || Released As Single || #1 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Another example of the duality the band loves; again about the same record execs as the previous track, but this one is slower, sweeter, and focused on searching for the rosy glow of being accepted
Trivia: Keefe said in three different interviews that this is actually one of his least favorite songs because the company it's written about tried to break apart the band and convince him to leave Keefe, Biana, and Sophie (and Dex) behind to become a solo artist
"Whether You Like It Or Not" || 5:01 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster and Dex Dizznee || Gentle, slow song about friendship and loyalty; two-minute piano solo; short drum-guitar duet
Trivia: One of the most forgotten tracks due to Sophie's personal distaste for talking about the private events that led to this song being written
"Family" || 3:32 || Released As Single || #1 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Midtempo; simple-sounding, yet complicated chord structure
Trivia: Unsurprisingly, one of the most popular songs the band ever released because of its message, musicality, and viral music video
"The Narnia Room (feat. Natalie Freeman)" || 4:28 || Released As Single || #1 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster and Natalie Freeman || Fast, but mystical track pulling from the influence of old folk and indie music
Trivia: The featured artist, Natalie Freeman, in addition to dating, and eventually marrying, Keefe, spent a few months in the same town as Sophie and the two kept in touch; written about the music room at the elementary school they were at together
"Left to Rot" || 3:21 || Lyrics by Biana Vacker and Fitz Vacker || Harsh, yet musical track all about forgiveness (or lack thereof); guitar solo halfway through the last chorus
Trivia: Lyrics written about Fitz and Biana's older brother, a manager for Neverseen Records with whom they had a falling out as teenagers that was never mended
"Gorgodon" || 3:44 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster and Biana Vacker || Repetitive strumming; nonsensical lyrics; focuses more on the instrumentation and the mix of melodies than words
Trivia: Sophie was sick with a very bad case of the flu, but was seized with inspiration; Biana could not completely translate Sophie's mutterings and when recovered, Sophie had no memory of the day
"Pass It On" || 5:45 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster and Fitz Vacker || Long, slow song with a two minute duet between the guitar and the piano; soothing, yet no-nonsense lyrics
Trivia: Lyrics penned in forty-five minutes while Sophie and Fitz were trying to get their baby to sleep
"The Showdown" || 4:12 || Released As Single || #1 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Powerful, vocally show stopping anthem; piano solo; opens with drums
Trivia: Twenty years after it spent nine weeks topping the charts, Sophie and Fitz's youngest daughter Solana won an international talent competition with this song
"Divide and Conquer" || 4:12 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Opens with slow block chords from Biana's piano; minor key; soft drum line
Trivia: One of the few Kids songs where the narrator has a name (it was Jenny, but Keefe kept mixing it up with Penny, so Sophie changed it); planned to be a single until Sophie wrote "The Showdown"
"All Together Now" || 4:52 || Released As Single || Lyrics by Fitz Vacker || Enthusiastic ending to a back-and-forth album; despite evidence to the contrary, the album opened with a ballad and closed the same way; fifty second guitar-piano duet
Trivia: Written for Sophie's birthday party, but Sophie wouldn't let them actually get through the song before starting to cry; Biana and Keefe took great pleasure retelling the story during five different interviews
Bonus:
"Catching" || 5:01 || Released As Single || Lyrics by Sophie Foster and Grady Ruewen || Slow, danceable song; easy to waltz to, as it's in three; repetitive guitar and piano parts as all focus is on the lyrics
Trivia: One of the songs Sophie wrote with her parents; released as a single with her father's blessing