Listening to “Become What You Believe” now is bittersweet, especially the energetic title track, throbbing with honesty and passion. The layered vocals address the costs and challenges of the touring life, ironic after frontman Steve Gee’s recent announcement of the band’s upcoming end. Gee is the last remaining original member, recently married and ready to move into new areas and goals, so this is actually the last month of Last Tuesday. They will leave a hole; there are other punk pop bands doing it better, frankly, but none with greater heart.
Last Tuesday has always been willing to open up a vein for the sake of the message, and “Become What You Believe” is more of the same. These catchy raw songs, ten in all, go right for the throat on issues of overly-forceful evangelism (the aggressive thrashing “Can You Hear Me?”), heart motivations (“Deal With It”), fame (the title track, thick with sound), and a recurring theme of the album, purpose. The upbeat “Wake Me Up” is all that’s great about punk: the exuberant energy, rambunctious riffs, and fearless vocals plead for God’s help in staying the course. There’s plenty of raucous screaming on “Become,” but there are also moments quite melodic: the moving encouragement of “Carry On,” and the soaring vocals of “Wake Me Up.”
Last Tuesday makes “The Stand” their own (from The Alarm), calling believers out to “come on down and meet your maker, come on down and make the stand.” I don’t know how much Steve Gee knew about the band’s future when writing the songs of “Become,” but a certain message comes across, a challenge to live out our faith. “Giving Up” urges us to let go of the hate we carry around so willingly, and the hardcore closer “My Last Regret” ties up the album theme powerfully, with sobering lyrics about making our time count. Last Tuesday will be missed, but “Become What You Believe” is a great way to go out.
