Flashback (2034)
Certified double platinum. If Lodestar's focus was on the instrumentation, Flashback's is certainly on the songwriting. Foster's lyrical collaborations with Sencen, Vacker, Dizznee, and The Twins' Tam Song are unmatched and, arguably, this is where some of her most clever lyrics have been found. In addition to three ingenious wedding songs (none of which fans were at all expecting to get access to), the witty, humorous Bramble, and a wistful yet mature take on adolescence (Adolescent Years), the darker and more bitter Overlords, Kids' second collaboration with The Twins, and the acoustic and beautiful Lettersreveal sides of the band, and Foster in particular, sides that even the previous twelve and following three years of music never quite touch on.
"Once Upon A Time" || 3:55 || #1 || Released As Single || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Fun return to the sound of older tracks like "New Around Here" and "Summer Fall"; cheerful, happy-sounding riffs; major chords used for the entire song, a trend not followed since their third album; enthusiastic drumming
Trivia: Lyrics subtly retell many fairy tales; Sophie wrote the song for Keefe's wedding; Biana insisted that the instrumentation and words were perfect for what they wanted the album to sound like
"Grass Field" || 2:12 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Simple song recognizing the beauty in the little things; primarily guitar with a small drum part; Biana's vocals carry this short track from beginning to end without faltering once
Trivia: Lyrics penned while the band was in the middle of their Lodestar Tour and Sophie was horribly homesick; instrumentation intentionally kept uncomplicated to promote the 'walk down memory lane' in this song
"Bramble" || 3:15 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster and Keefe Sencen || Silly, fun-loving song; big drum part; lyrics are nothing more than the rules of a made-up sport called Bramble
Trivia: Keefe walked up to Sophie one day in Exile era and told her he wanted to invent a sport; she took him seriously and helped him through the rule-writing process, later translating those rules into this song
"Blue Eyes" || 4:01 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster and Biana Vacker || Slightly slower, sappier love song; leans heavily on organic instrumentation rather than production, a trait that makes it easier to perform live; low drums; melodic piano
Trivia: Coincidentally released one week before Biana's engagement to guitarist/bassist Tam Song was announced; although the song charted, the highest it reached was #17
"What Do You Think?" || 4:31 || Released As Single || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Opens with a quiet drum solo before the guitar kicks in at full force; loud, powerhouse vocals; lyrics cover topics like insecurity and feeling unsafe in one's own skin
Trivia: Sophie has admitted that the lyrics are based off of past experiences, but she refuses to go into details; Keefe said in one interview that he was the one who insisted it be released as a single because of its brutal honesty and general singularity
"Adolescent Years" || 3:56 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Fast-paced song with echoes of tracks like "When You're Twenty Three" and Jensi and the Drooly Boys' "Hi(gh)"; simple guitar part; piano and cymbal accompaniment
Trivia: Lyrics lament growing up, but admit happiness that "all of those quiescent fears/all of those incessant tears/all those adolescent years/are behind us now but we're still here"; Sophie dedicated the song to 'all of the people who are struggling'
"Free Time" || 1:57 || No Lyrics || Entirely instrumental track; Opens with a simple drum line; other instruments like trumpet, string bass, and, of course, Fitz and Biana's guitar and piano respectively, come in one by one
Trivia: The only lyricless song the band ever released; the story around it was apparently that Sophie was giving the band's manager the silent treatment for making her do a solo interview with only a few hours' notice, so this track was born out a jam session between Fitz, Keefe, Biana, and some of their old college friends in Keefe's basement
"Letters" || 4:53 || Released As Single || Lyrics by Sophie Foster and Dex Dizznee || Opens and closes with acoustic guitar, a rarity for the band; even pacing; one guitar solo
Trivia: The instrumental was entirely acoustic, promoting the honest, raw quality of the track; not overly critically acclaimed, but massive fan favorite
"The Answer Is Yes" || 5:43 || #1 || Released As Single || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Opens with five seconds of synthesizers before Keefe says, "See, but I was thinking something a little more…" and the sound immediately cuts off into something much more organic; in the same vein, the song ends again with Keefe saying, "… like that"
Trivia: Hit #1 after fewer than twenty-four hours post-release; first single released for the album; slight reworking of Biana's wedding song
"Overlords (feat. The Twins)" || 5:00 || #1 || Released As Single || Lyrics by Sophie Foster and Tam Song || Darker, more mysterious track synonymous with The Twins' style; opens with a drum solo
Trivia: Written about Tam and Linh's father and Sophie's plethora of awful foster parents
"Tell The Truth" || 3:50 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Swaying, waltz-like track written in 3 instead of 4; engaging melody; easy to dance to
Trivia: Written for Marella Redek's fifth studio album, but was cut due to there being more tracks than the album had space for
"Trainwreckers" || 4:33 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Fast anthemic track designed to be easily singable and playable; piano solo near the end
Trivia: Biana's piano adaptation was released with the album and is known in the piano soloist community as one of the few piano adaptations to be as easily playable as the original
"Forevermore" || 4:29 || #1 || Lyrics by Fitz Vacker || Doo-wop ballad serving as a wedding song; three extremely short guitar solos
Trivia: Sophie and Fitz's actual wedding song; never released as a single, but was the most played song on the top three music streaming services for twelve weeks and was used in countless weddings for decades after the album's release; as such received an honorary chart topping acknowledgement due to fan support and influence
Bonus:
"Good For Me" || 3:58 || #1 || Released As Single || Lyrics by Sophie Foster and Dex Dizznee || Opens with soft acoustic guitar and closes with soft piano chords; the complicated melodies that Fitz is so famous for are present in this track, but they are played exclusively acoustically
Trivia: Sophie and Dex wrote this song over a period of nine months because of constantly conflicting schedules