Legacy (2037)
With a title like the one revealed four weeks before album release, many predicted that this album would be the band's last. And what a sendoff it is! With compositions from every album era, and participation from actual Kids' kids, Legacyfeels like the perfect conclusion. Bittersweet tracks like For Every Hello, If Today, and Age of Usperfectly complement the sassy Don't Give In, soft and heartfelt tracks Little Hands, Little Feet and Call It Love, and even the band's classic deceptive additions Remember Me and Dear Mom and Dad. Foster and Vacker's oldest performs like she was born singing, which, given her family, she might have been.
"For Every Hello (feat. Sophie Foster)" || 4:12 || Released As Single || Lyrics by Sophie Foster and Fitz Vacker || Simple, repetitive strumming on an acoustic guitar; soaring vocals; opens with a myriad of voices in several different languages saying hello; closes with the same voices saying goodbye in as many languages
Trivia: The first clue that this album was going to be their last, as Fitz had never before written or co-written the opening track of an album; also the only time Sophie's voice was officially featured in a track
"Little Hands, Little Feet" || 3:31 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Slow song with a dreamlike musical quality to it; Fitz's rather rough, unpolished vocals give the track the second dimension it needs; soft piano accompaniment (Biana)
Trivia: Started after the birth of Sophie and Fitz's first child and finished after the reveal they were expecting again; seeing as Fitz was the first member of the instrumental part of the band to become a parent, Biana and Keefe insisted that he be its vocalist
"How Could I Have Known" || 4:15 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Lyrics talk about accountability and thinking of the consequences of one's actions, a deep topic for this energetic track; one drum solo
Trivia: The cover by pop-rock group Jensi and the Drooly Boys eventually supersedes the original in plays and popularity
"Plain To See" || 2:47 || Released As Single || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Simplistic love-song lyrics; boppy feel; mostly drums and piano instrumentally
Trivia: Fitz was on paternity leave during the recording for this track, hence why the guitar is less impressive, as they had to hire a guitarist on short notice
"Sojourn to the Outskirts" || 6:23 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster and Dex Dizznee || Complicated instrumentalization; more music than lyrics; features classical violinist Maruca Heptor
Trivia: Dex wanted to try having the music telling the story, rather than words; Sophie unintentionally sent him lyrics in the middle of his creative experimentation, but they fit so well with his message that he felt he had to include them
"Broken" || 3:14 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Opens with slow picking of a banjo, which slowly speeds up until the drums cut in; sassy, good-natured vocals; fun, uncomplicated lyrics
Trivia: Written during the filming of a documentary about the band; the clip of Sophie throwing a pencil at the camera and swearing at the cameraman in three different languages went viral almost immediately
"Remember Me" || 4:45 || #1 || Released As Single || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Fun, good-humored song with a sad twist ending; broken piano chords; simple drums
Trivia: Commissioned by Black Swan Records execs to get revenge against rival record company Neverseen Records who signed a group both companies had been chasing; knocked that group's song out of the number one spot
"Call It Love" || 4:31 || #1 || Released As Single || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Sweet love song subtly showing scenes from four different love stories; one guitar solo; opens and closes with piano
Trivia: Penned before the band got their record deal, and discarded for every previous album because Biana couldn't make it through the song without crying from the range of emotions portrayed
"Dear Mom and Dad" || 4:20 || || #1 || Released As Single || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Upbeat tempo; storytelling lyrics; cheerful vocals intended ironically as the narrator details all of the terrible things that are afflicting her in various letters to her parents; each one ends with a directive not to worry, and to maybe send a missed/forgotten item
Trivia: All of the events that transpire to the narrator of the song happened to different members of the band in real life, although not in the order they are portrayed
"If Today (feat. Avery Vacker)" || 4:11 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster and Fitz Vacker || Sad, yet sweet song about all different kinds of love; gentle plucking of both guitar and banjo; soft piano accompaniment; no drums, but Keefe and Avery trade off vocals
Trivia: Sophie and Fitz's first daughter Avery provides most of the harmonies; despite only being five when the song was recorded, her voice was so perfect for how Biana wanted the song to sound that even her parents were persuaded; Fitz had her sing with her eyes closed so that she could pretend she was just at home having fun; she nailed it on the third try
"Don't Give In" || 4:14 || #1 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster || Return to the original teenage attitude of Keeper and Exile, the message of this track is all rebellion; easy-to-learn instrumentation and vocals
Trivia: Last song added the album, as Keefe wanted a throwback song, and Sophie had over a decade of material for him to choose from; written when Sophie believed that Grady and Edaline Ruewen were going to send her back into the foster system
"Whatever" || 2:36 || Lyrics by Biana Vacker and Tam Song || Carefree, ironic lyrics about a celebrity who has no cares and no worries; deceptively sloppy instrumentation; piano/drums duet
Trivia: Written after an anonymous letter to the band accused them of faking emotions and 'having no idea what real life was like because they were rich and famous'; Sophie was intentionally kept in the dark about the whole situation
"Age of Us" || 3:42 || #1 || Lyrics by Sophie Foster and Fitz Vacker || Moderate speed; opens with Biana's vocals; one short (for Fitz) guitar solo; closes with all of the members of the band thanking the fans for fifteen years of memories
Trivia: Intentionally the metaphorical 'closing of the book', as the title represents the end of the era that "New Around Here" referenced the beginning of; additionally, the song runs for the same amount of time as "New Around Here"
Bonus:
"Avery's Song" || 5:33 || #1 || Released As Single || Lyrics by Sophie Foster and Fitz Vacker || Piano-guitar duet with constant support from the drums; opens and closes soft and lullaby-like but upbeat, mid tempo middle
Trivia: Written, of course, for Sophie and Fitz's oldest daughter, Avery; the first hint that Avery had a role in the album; the ceremonial passing of the torch, as several of the band's songs are about their own youth