After the release of their "debut" album in 2024 (the brilliant self-titled album), I was curious as to where Jessy Ribordy and the band would go next. Now, before we go any further, it should be noted that I use quotes around the term "debut" because Jessy and co. had been already making music for the better part of twenty years under the name Falling Up, but this was their first album under a new moniker-- a rebirth of sorts. In between that album and this EP, Jessy put out another Falling Up album of reimagined versions of previously released songs, but this is the first new music released since that self-titled album two years ago.

For the unaware, the album's title, Kairos, comes from the Greek word for the right, critical, or opportune moment for decisive action, but can also mean qualitative, critical, and unrepeatable time -- the exact window when conditions are ideal for an event or choice to happen. The album begins with "Origins," a song about needing God, punctuated by lyrics like "Take all I've got, I can't weather this all alone, And what I'm not, you'll make it whole." Jessy's beautiful vocals carry an otherwise solid opener.

Following that we get the much more uptempo "In Reverie," which means being lost in a pleasant, dream-like state of thought, daydreaming, or mental abstraction detached from one's immediate surroundings. The central theme presented in its lyrics revolve around the phrase "two lives," which are repeated fourteen times throughout the song. From there we get to the title track "Kairos," a standout on the album, with lyrical imagery invoking the wonder around us and seeing things from the perspective of a boy just trying to make the most of his life.

We then come to the midway point of the album with "The Blue Shift," the shortest song on the album by far, and a bit of a letdown as it only features a repeating piano and Jessy's vocals. Kicking off the back half of the album is "You Betcha," the most uptempo song on the album, and a vast improvement over the previous song. The song talks about the devil in disguise trying to turn your blues to color to trick you, and we all have to remember who we are.

"Zero 3" is next, a song about God's plan for us and how he's waiting on the other side to greet us like his sons and daughters, while the closer, "Hellfire," is another standout track, beginning with just a piano before crescendoing into a full band performance by the time we reach the chorus. With lyrics like "Hellfire chasing after me, Was such a fantasy, When grace was always free," it reminds us that we can work to appease the devil, or we can just remember that God's grace is always free if we just accept it.

All in all, this is another great effort by guys who've done this for over twenty years, even if it's a slight step down from their first album. The lyrics are as imaginative and complex as ever, even though they sometimes go over my head, and I can't wait to see how they follow this up.

JFH Reader Review: written by Matt Spiker, 10/8/26, for Jesusfreakhideout.com