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.

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 Record Label: None
 Album length: 11 tracks: 41 minutes, 43 seconds
 Street Date: May 30, 2023
 Buy It: iTunes
 Download It: Amazon Music

1. Open Mouth (Fill it Up) (4:05)
2. Cares and Worries (3:55)
3. A Time Like This (4:08)
4. Grain of Sand (4:01)
5. I Need (3:01)
6. New Skin (5:07)
7. Jingle (2:19)
8. Abide with Me (3:29)
9. K e e p i n g T i m e (3:23)
10. (I Care but) What Do I Care? (3:32)
11. Don't Know What You Don't Know (4:39)