Jesusfreakhideout.com: Fepeste, "What You Don't Know" Review

JFH Indie Review

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Fepeste
What You Don't Know

Street Date: May 30, 2023
Style: Indie Folk Rock
Official Site: Official Website
Buy It: iTunes
Buy It: AmazonMP3

There are plenty of would-be artists out in the wild who have some amount of material sitting around collecting dust, likely to never see the light of day. Up until last year, this was the case for Colorado Springs-based indie artist Fepeste (stage name for Eric Jett). After his LP, All Glory, sat for nearly a decade, Fepeste finally put it out for the world to hear. Following quickly on that long-simmering debut comes a new batch of 11 songs under the title of What You Don't Know. Where Fepeste's first effort came out of a crisis of faith and marriage, his sophomore offering sprang from dealing with the worries and cares that arise from being a husband, father, and homeowner. In other words, all the stress that comes with being an adult.

From the start, this theme is made clear with the opener "Open Mouth (Fill It)" and the opening lines, "I ain't no bird or flower/I've got real needs/Like a house to heat/And kids that gotta eat." It's simply stated and yet very relatable. In fact, this quality runs throughout the record. Fepeste has a knack for taking the mundane and expressing the worries and frustrations that come with it, all while calling back to Scripture with some sort of reference. The most clever example would be "New Skin," which takes from Jesus' teaching about wine skins and the law and applies it to our everyday struggles: "Looking forward to some new skin/To hold this new wine that I've been drinking/'Cause it feels like/It feels like I'm gonna burst."

Every song on What You Don't Know builds on that theme of anxiety and stress. Whether it's an outright struggle with it ("Open Mouth," "Cares and Worries," "Grain of Sand") or trying to deal with it and manage it ("A Time Like This," "I Need," or the adapted hymn "Abide With Me"). In the end, Fepeste looks to a heavenly future (that impacts our current reality) to calm his worries ("[I Care but] What Do I Care?", "Don't Know What You Don't Know"). The music backing this message also helps with the overall theme. While I would say it's ultimately indie rock, it does, at times, feel influenced by surf rock and shoegaze. There's an almost sleepy, muted quality to the sound that seems to reflect just how tired Fepeste was feeling when writing the songs. His voice (which may take some getting used to for some listeners) complements the music, too. There are times when the mix gets a little crazy or muddled, but for this album, it kind of works.

Through the years of reviewing for JFH, I have had several moments when listening to an album and thinking, "What? You too?," but never has that feeling been stronger than with Fepeste's What You Don't Know. The time of life I'm in as this album releases is eerily similar to what inspired Eric Jett to write the record (even down to having three kids). While that may make it something of a niche album, I would still recommend people to give What You Don't Know a shot. Fepeste has a unique way of taking simple things and drawing out their spiritual realities. It's a quality that's hard to find among most Christian acts. If you're in a stressful stage of life, you can easily relate to Fepeste's struggles. If you're not, you can appreciate his writing style. This record is not without its rough edges, but don't let that deter you from giving it a listen.

- Review date: 6/17/23, written by John Underdown of Jesusfreakhideout.com

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JFH Staff's Second Opinion

Eric Jett is the mastermind behind the indie band Fepeste. The band is mostly just Eric, but guest appearances from his friends and fellow musicians/singers appear throughout the entire album. What You Don't Know is the follow-up to 2022's All Glory and features 11 tracks of an interesting blend of alternative rock and folk-inspired music. Thematically, the album revolves around the idea of trying to fathom omnipotence and providence, rest and courage and faith and doubt. Musically, the album is very enjoyable. It's a unique experience, and the genre bending makes it difficult to pinpoint an exact style (called indie folk/rock by Eric himself), but it all works together. The album never goes too hard on the rock side of things and is never fully folk or Americana either, but all the elements are there for all three genres. While Jett has a great voice for this sound, the additional vocals provided by Thea Noelle really take things up a notch. She has a great voice that would be beautiful alone, but also blends nicely with Jett's leads.

What You Don't Know is a fun album that mixes some unexpected sounds together. It takes the best things from the genres represented and puts them all into one entertaining package. I'm more than happy to recommend this album to anyone interested in any of the sounds or genres mentioned. If you're looking for one song to test, I'd go with "(I Care but) What Do I Care?" Not only is it a great indicator of the music you'll experience in the rest of the album, but it carries a solid message as well: "Wars, wars, and rumors of more wars; good thing our hope's not in this life. No sword, sickness, or trial can separate us from the love of Christ." Here's to another great indie release in 2023. - Review date: 5/30/23, written by Michael Weaver of Jesusfreakhideout.com