Christian music collective Housefires releasing their third LP.
In recent years, pop culture has mercurially descended into projecting and promoting darker Luciferian imagery in films, television, streaming programs, music, fashion, and overall lifestyle. At this year's 2023 Grammys, the broadcast had some controversial performances that caused a social media outrage because the performers had musical sets dedicated to Satanic and blasphemous ethos.
The cultural shift is evident as the Christian majority in America continues to decrease. In 2020, 64% of Americans classified themselves as Christians, as opposed to fifty years ago, when the number was 90%. Pew Research Center's study projects that by 2070, those holding Christian beliefs will be below 50%.
The need for more faith-based inspirational content and music is becoming increasingly necessary. Based on Charlie Kerlinger's article, "The Popularity Of Christian Music In The United States," 68% of Americans listened to Christian or gospel music. African-Americans comprised 93% of gospel listeners, or numerically 38 million people in 2021, and "the top ten Christian albums sold more than 17 million copies, according to the GMA study." In September 2022, more than 215 million people listened to Christian music. In 2018, Pandora awarded Christian artist Chris Tomlin a plaque for 1.8 billion streams on its broadcasting service.
The Christian music industry is still thriving and surviving amidst a hostile culture bent against anything of Christian faith or religious leaning. The genre reports 3.6% of all album sales are in the Christian genre in the United States and is significantly growing. Christian music label CCMG sells over 50 million albums in over 50 countries annually.
The breakdown of the most consumed genres of music for 2022.
Community-driven music collective Housefires is using its ministry to add to the growing uptick of faith-inspired music. The group's new record, “How To Start A Housefire,” is an immersive experience by adopting a raw, live approach to each composition by discarding the rigid recording restraints which inspired other faith-based ensembles like Grammy-winning Maverick City Music.
Established in Atlanta in 2014, Housefires changed how many received worship with their debut albums "Housefires" and "Housefires II." Group members include Grammy-nominee Nate Moore, chart-topping songwriter Ryan Ellis (Chris Tomlin, Natalie Grant, Matt Redman), Kirby Kaple (Chris Tomlin, Passion Music), Davy Flowers, and more.
For their latest album “How To Start A Housefire,” the group continues the tradition of creating an atmosphere of overwhelming unity while celebrating the blessings in the group members' lives. With thunderous praise, the group lets go of all its tribulations and thanks to the Creator across the 12 tracks.``
The heavenly-inspired tracks will transport believers and non-believers into a visceral and celestial experience with harmonies and instrumentals like "Lean On The Lord" that will stir the soul, heart, and mind.
The album is intimate, inclusive, spirit-filled, and devout, and it was developed similarly to the group's previous LPs during worship nights. "We did a series of worship mornings and nights over a writing camp. I think it was two or three different writing camps. We didn't know what songs would end up on an album or if there would be one," says Kirby Kaple. She acknowledges that the group recognized the songs that resonated with the people in the room.
Songwriter Kirby Kaple enjoying the jam session.
"We've been experiencing the album unfolding over the last year, which has been cool, and we've been able to re-experience those nights and the songs in fresh ways. I think we were probably taken aback, pleasantly surprised, and blessed again by it," Kaple adds.
Ryan Ellis says the album was created through immense travel, born of the group members' "blood, sweat, and tears over the years," and being steadfast in the Lord and waiting on His promise.
"This was like a fun project where we all got to come together and try to do something we've all been doing separately, but then do it all together. I think it came at the right time for the season of life that we're all in. I think a lot of us, we're dealing with what the rest of the world was dealing with, and then this project coming up, us getting together, it felt super random, but then it ended up being everything we all needed," says Ellis, giving a straightforward account.
Songwriter Ryan Ellis caught up in a moment of worship.
The creative process of crafting the lyrics and producing the musical production for the album came from different and spontaneous moments with some of the tracks. There were writing sessions for certain songwriters, while other songs drew inspiration from Biblical canon. All the songwriters ensured the songs were scripturally accurate, "When we're sometimes writing, for this specific album, the inspiration behind choosing the songs was: are these intimate? How do we say something that's never been said before but also say something that's not different from the gospel, is this truth, is this spirit? A lot of these songs grew on me, too, it took a minute, but I think that's how it's supposed to be; you should be able to live with these things. I think you can listen to this album over and over and experience it differently," says Ellis.
Kaple jumps in and inserts that the record was produced a year ago, on and off as everyone juggled their nine-to-fives. Still, she was keenly sensitive that the songs would be moving and that worship singers and musicians could take the pieces and use them in their churches and homes. For Blake Wiggins, the songs moved him due to their simplicity,
"They're all simple songs that move us and others can hop into; I played "Grateful" for the first time in a church, and that was awesome. The lyrics weren't even working for half the song, and everyone was still in the song because it's so simple, so it feels real," he remembers. "After the lockdown and the pandemic, getting in a room with people [that's] when everything gets so complicated, you say the simplest stuff sometimes. That's what it felt like we had so many conversations over the last couple of years, and then we all got to come together and make it simple again, and it feels really special."
Songwriter Nate Moore showing reverence during a worship song.
The group's live recording started as Ellis's dream and based the records on simplicity and worship. Now live recordings have become the standard in presenting worship music. They understood the power of social media as a channel in which people today receive content and the gospel. He believes that live recordings are another method of expression they are stepping into as believers who follow Christ, and it gives people a visual representation of how to understand and interpret scripture.
"We've always done live recording intentionally because the essence of worship is experiential. Studio albums can capture that, but when you do live worship, it invites viewers and listeners from all over the world to enter that room, join in the experience, and feel what it's like in those moments," says Nate Moore. "From our first record, released in January 2014, we've always done live recordings because it feels true to the original moments, the Holy Spirit moving in that room and the prayer that God would expand and take that wherever He wants." Moore relives the prophetic word said to him about the band that their music would stretch beyond their boundaries and suffuse throughout nations. He considers that live recording helps to facilitate that revelation.
"People can throw [the songs] on in the car when they're driving, and it feels relatable, invitational, inclusive, all the moments of life. When there's mourning, weeping, rejoicing, and when people are on the mountaintop," he adds.
"Gospel music is so much more than music, lyrics, and melody; it is an all-encompassing experience. It's one of those taste-and-see kinds of things. It's not enough to hear or sing the songs; it almost demands participation, engagement, and entering in; it is a call and response, mingling of joy, sorrow, faith, prayer, triumph, despair, and hope all pointed towards the Father's throne. There is something about gospel music that gives people permission to show up as they are, however broken and chaotic their stories might be, and to experience the presence and love of a God who has room for all of it," said group member Davy Flowers.
Davy Flowers wants Housefires album to ignite in people a desire to draw closer to God.
The features on the record boast some heavy hitters in the Christian music realm, like gospel two-time Grammy nominee Doe, Grammy-winner KJ Scriven, Grammy-winner Chandler Moore of Maverick City Music, Harvest Grapevine, and others. Moore said including fellow Christian artists on the project came from a place of love and the desire to be around like-minded people who exude the same spirit and create joy. Other times the thought of including other artists is strategic, "This person had nothing to do with writing the song, but whose voice could take this song and make it fly? I think about the songs that Doe was on, listening to them again, and it's just like, gosh, that song wouldn't be what it is or what it will be without Doe's voice in those moments; it took it to another level. She was so present with God and inspired by the Holy Spirit and could take those songs up, which is amazing."
A quick overview of our present culture's landscape shows an immense shift against Christian beliefs, principles, and values, with many identifying as atheists and agnostics; this begs the question, is Christian music still relevant in our modern-day society? Ellis stands firm that Christian music will always be applicable because "Jesus is the only one who said what He said; nobody else said what this homie said. Christian music talks about the intimacy, relationship, and the language you need to have; some people didn't even know God was a good Father before Housefires said it. They used to think He was a judgmental or a distant Father, but these revelations in Christian music unlock people to walk in the freedom that we want the whole world to walk in; you have to have music out there to warn against everything else." He points out that the constant themes in secular music explore ad nauseam, sex, drugs, rock and roll, heartbreak, and disappointment. Yet, Ellis feels that many people still lack understanding of the depth of God and His love, grace, and mercy.
"So as Christian artists, it's our job and duty to look for ways to serve the audience and God, to walk out our purpose in the most creative way possible," he specifies.
Wiggins argues that people are desperate for God and to connect to something much greater than themselves; he does not accept songs about God will become irrelevant, "I think that as people have as the word we're using drifted away [because], people have come to the church looking for an encounter with God and got something different. I think we have to handle it in a way that demonstrates its value and how important interacting with each other and connecting with God is; it's one of the clearest answers to what the church has gotten so wrong."
Songwriter Blake Wiggins playing the piano during a live recording.
Moore boldly states that faith-based songwriting has to return to its prophetic nature and become rooted in the Scriptures, "What do people need to hear, this is not a sexy take, but 70% of the songs are laments. Being in the Christian music industry for the last decade, if there's one thing I've noticed, we're pretty uncomfortable with songs of lament. We need songs that sit more with human emotion, sadness, anger, questioning, confusion, joy, and celebration." As the world is still recovering from the ravages of the pandemic, our nation continues to grapple with racial tension, violence, a lack of justice, and the onset of world wars breaking out; Moore proclaims that songs of Jesus, His gospel, and the kingdom will give people amid the chaos.
"We believe that one day God will make things new, that justice is coming, and it's going to roll like a river. But I think some songs need to sit in what's happening is not okay, that what I believe will draw people," he says.
The album brings listeners through the process of acknowledging the hurt but presenting a light of hope, and Ellis says the songs lead to the confession of sins, leading to healing. While many in our communities are contending with the dark clouds of depression as they prepare for the predicted recession, Ellis holds to the idea that songs that speak about hope and getting into the presence of God will shift the atmosphere.
The group's aims for the album are for listeners to find themselves and their stories within each melody. Flowers wants the album to impact people so that their hearts will be stirred towards a fresh hunger for God and be encouraged that He is sufficient, "He does satisfy. Life with Him is better than life without Him, His ways are better, His love is better, His friendship is better, and walking in an abiding relationship with Him is our only and truest source of life. I'm praying that people would be compelled and drawn into a lifestyle of wholehearted worship. They would be drawn back to simple devotion that looks like giving God your all and trusting Him to do what He wants."
Housefires hosts a live recording that has re-energized worship music.
Kaple brings the group's mission home, "We've got a lot of collaborations on this album; I hope they watch the videos and see themselves represented. I hope they catch community and take the message of the songs and the lyrics into their daily life; that's always been our vision with Housefires is that the songs would spark fires that burn bright in ordinary houses all over the world because if this doesn't move if this doesn't move beyond the room that we sang it in or beyond our church walls, what are we doing?" questions Kaple. "We hope people would be encouraged to lean on the Lord, to give thanks if I can be on the nose. It's an invitation, a wide open door, and people can jump in or jump out; that's up to you, but here we are."
