No Rules, Just Joy — MercyMe’s Wonder & Awe
MercyMe’s new album Wonder & Awe is exactly what its title promises—a joyful, genre-bending ride that feels both familiar and completely unpredictable. For a band that broke out with the heart-wrenching ballad I Can Only Imagine, they could have easily settled into repeating the formula that brought them decades of success. Instead, they’ve continued to carve out their own space as a group that doesn’t take themselves too seriously, loves to make people dance in the street, and isn’t afraid to follow whatever musical rabbit trail inspires them in the moment. The result is a record where you truly can’t guess what’s coming next.
It all begins with an a cappella, country-gospel opener that could have slipped straight into the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. Just as your ears adjust, the next track swerves into a spaghetti-western intro that kicks off into a 70s funk celebration “All God’s People.” Then comes “Fred Astaire,” a breezy island-inspired tune with the kind of pop-rock charm you’d expect from Train—and as a self-proclaimed Trainiac, that’s a high compliment. From there, the album doesn’t get any more settled into a genre or style. Listeners are better off just experiencing it for themselves.
“This album took about a year and a half, and it kind of started with us working with our producer, Ted T, and just playing around with songs. Next thing you know, we realized that I think we’re making an album, and that’s why it took so long,” the band explained. Without a firm deadline and with their own studio at their disposal, sessions were relaxed, often paused for everyday life. “Most of the time it’s like, ‘Hey, I’ve got to pick my kids up.’ So we’d finish it later, and later kept taking longer and longer.” That lack of pressure gave them freedom to create without worrying about expectations. “There are a lot of different styles on here that, if we’d thought too hard about it, might not have made the record. Ted was really encouraging: ‘This music’s coming out of you guys…put the album out. Don’t worry about the rules.’ We had a blast making it and we’re just happy it’s out.”
The joy in the process comes through in every track. “To me, it’s just a really joyful record. There are definitely heavier moments, but the whole thing points to joy. The concept behind it is being caught by the wonder and awe of God, which sometimes feels like we’ve lost in the church. That joy of what we’ve been given is what we wanted to capture… Part of it felt like we were teenagers in a garage band again, just not playing by any rules.”
That creative spark is all the more meaningful considering the band’s longevity. “It’s been pretty obvious over the years the way the Lord has sustained us and we’re very aware of that. We’re not done yet. What’s funny is the older our kids get, the more they don’t want us to stop doing this. Our older boys give us a hard time and say, ‘Hey, you guys are legends now.’ I’m like, watch your mouth—but I know what they mean. Our own family are sometimes our biggest fans, which is an amazing thing to say in and of itself. We’ve done this long enough now that our kids still love us and love what we do, and I’m excited about watching our families flourish while we keep going.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s all been easy. Bart Millard shared “We’ve had moments where we wanted to call it quits, when the bottom’s falling out and things are out of control. I don’t know how solo acts do it because there are a lot of seasons I couldn’t have gotten through without the guys around me. As much fun and as goofy as we can be, it’s the moments where we went through hell on earth and stayed by each other’s sides that keep us together 30-plus years in. Sometimes the grief and the pain is so intense that rest and isolation start looking similar, and the last thing it wants is for us to find help and community. Isolation is the worst thing—and luckily I can’t get rid of these other four people, so I’m in good shape.
MercyMe could have played it safe. They could have given fans a dozen soaring ballads and easily met every commercial expectation. Instead, Wonder & Awe feels like a delightful leap of creativity under one roof and with one message. It’s an album that’s full of joy, rooted in gratitude, and unafraid to have a little fun along the way.
