Well, I knew I would get here at some point, and I’m excited to finally have it published. After 8 months of recording and producing, The New Thing Years album is ready to release. Carlia and I were the worship leaders for The New Thing Youth Church for several years and all along that time we wrote many songs for the students to worship with. This is a compilation of some of those, with a few new ideas added around them.
I’m excited to have Carlia Alderman, Allyson Goolsby, Sarah Hollis, and Rachel Moore all add their vocals to it–each being TNT worship leaders. Additionally, Sarah adds her piano skills to nearly every song this go around.
It has been a wonderful trip down memory lane for my wife and me, reliving past songs and reinventing some of their musical anecdotes. Below is some of the history behind each song.
A New Thing
I wrote “A New Thing” early in my tenure as TNT’s worship leader. The youth church had incredible songs written from its platform over the years, but never a song that was the backbone of its mission. So I started penning one. It actually all came together during the daily Morning Breath Radio Show. Back then, I produced the radio show and sat alongside Pastor Dan for hours each Thursday morning; in many ways, that was my seminary. I studied the Bible alongside him and another guest and watched the annals of wisdom unearthed. During a recording and reading of Hebrews 12, the lyrics came together, and I wrote the whole song without a guitar or piano at my fingers. I just had the tune in my heart and wrote the chords down on a strip of paper. That night, we put it together as a band and it became a staple of our worship repertoire. The bridge lyrics meant so much to me, and I believe were the backbone of our mission as a generation for Christ, that I made them the weekly intro for my messages after I became the youth pastor.
The song itself is militant, purposeful, layered, and chaotic. That describes Gen Z well.
The Invasion
This is still one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written, and easily the most for a TNT song. It had a presence to it every time we played it at TNT, camp, or an event. I still remember watching my little girls, then toddlers, dance to it at a spring festival while Animal Face played. Untamed was the first song written that coincided with a camp theme; but this was my first go at it, and I wanted something alarming and anthemic, as if our earth was being invaded and we had nothing to do but enjoy the ride. I’ve always aimed to set a tone and imagery in my lyrics; “fire”, “lights”, “winds”, “waves”, these were all naturalistic images and my hope was to make the listening student recall God’s power when he or she saw such elements.
Dance with You
Daft Punk’s album “R.A.M.” was hot off the presses and I was in love with it. But I couldn’t let myself be swept too far away with a song such as “Get Lucky”. So I started writing my own lyrics to the basic rhythm and took it to Chris Johnson. I remember sitting in his office and coming up with ideas. The chorus was mine, his was the verses, and together we grabbed hold of this ridiculous, arrhythmic bridge—it was impossible for a student to jump properly too, but it made us happy. The adults didn’t seem to grab hold of it very much, but TNT loved it for many years.
Sometimes, we just really need to enjoy the groove and be happy.
I am Brave
In 2016, I wanted to break away from the annual camp theme song idea, instead bringing a new song that was as bombastic and memorable as any of the rest, but didn’t need the reference to a particular year. I wanted a song that tricked you, starting off slow, moody, and deliberate, before exploding into a wall of relentless sound, and eventually dropped into the most haunting melody and progression we had come up with yet. The song itself is a sequel to The Invasion. What happens after His light comes? Our determination to bring the Gospel to the world, standing in courage and boldness. It is an audible irony, as the words are sung over a haunting melody/progression, a metaphor of our boldness amidst fear. It was fun to introduce the Major 3 chord to Animal Face and watch their wheels turn as we structured it. I think this one will always be loved more by the musician and band than the common listener, but it has powerful lyrics and a great chorus, nonetheless; without fail, it always ended back in worship by the end. What a great song and progression to get lost inside of.
Untamed
As we approached Untamed Youth Camp in 2013, I couldn’t shake the idea of a namesake anthem for worship. When I finally put pen to page, the lyrics and melody flowed out simultaneously. I forced myself to stay out of the way, not over complicating the song structure and lyrics. It didn’t have to BE anything but worship. It was simple and repetitive, and (I believe) just what the Holy Spirit wanted. Keith helped me apply chords that remained “simple”, yet compelling. We brought the song to the band, and each musician added their own flair and creativity. What formed was a song I am immensely proud of. Not because of what we did, but because of how His power and wild love are on display— it’s nearly impossible to sing without getting emotional! Nearly 12 years after its debut, it means the world to me to finally have a recording of my favorite song to ever write. I pray that it encourages and challenges your Faith in a God who is bigger, stronger, wilder, and more loving than you could ever imagine. — Carlia
Fire in my Bones
Somewhere in the fall of 2014, I had this melody come to mind and it wouldn’t go away. It rattled my soul, and I was sang it constantly. I brought it to TNT, but it was probably too early and too haunting for the group. It felt good, but it didn’t have the legs to keep going, primarily because it wasn’t bombastic enough. I tucked it away and later retrofitted it into a Frankenstein of a song called “Unstoppable” during the next summer camp. But to me, that chorus was never right for that song. About six months ago (2024), I wrote a progression I fell in love with and found the old melody worked perfectly. This is what the song was always meant to be. It’s unlike TNT, but it’s powerful and it’s my heartbeat forever. Fire is in my bones, and it always will be.
The upright on the recording is over 120 years old out of New York. She still has fire in her bones, even if her strings crackle and pop.
Campfire Editions:
Every year, we would go out on our TNT camping trips. They were less about camping or roughing it and more about silly adventurous parties. But each night, we would fall in line to singing worship. That’s what these songs were meant to inspire again. Here on our farm, I like to go up on our hillside and camp alone. I start a fire, listen to the owls and crickets, and sing a few songs to Jesus and the livestock. And without fail, I remember those moments camping with TNT. So I strung together a live sampling of each of the songs we would do at TNT, just like I used to do for the students on those camping trips. Hopefully, it can remind some of those students today that nothing really matters but our worship to our Father, and being in His presence. The woods are a special place to hear from Him. Maybe the best place.
Releasing February 27th, 2025. Preorder available here.
Keith G. Alderman 