Music can heal the soul at any time of hardship, temporarily or permanently. Frank Turner brings me joy and uplifts me. At this point in history, we’re confused about what is going on during this COVID-19 Pandemic. “Be More Kind,” Frank’s seventh studio album, assuages the feelings that we are going through during this exact moment in history. Every lyric that is sang through this album is refreshingly honest, delivering timeless messages with passionate hooks. What more could you want from a collection of songs?

In a writer’s words, I wanted to take a crack at summarizing the meaning of the whole album. If you even look at the tracklisting titles of the songs, you already have a sense of how “Be More Kind” relates to our current situation.

We shouldn’t worry if we don’t know what to do because it is like 1933 out there, a year that will live in infamy. During that year, the Nazi Party started its rise, and Adolph Hitler began his terror upon the world. This year is the new 1933 but worse, because of its effect on everything, and the horror of fighting an invisible enemy. We now have begun to fight each other versus the main enemy as we did back then when we became one as a nation in a collective effort to defeat the Nazis. Frank wants us to stop pointing fingers at each other by reminding us to make little changes, such as being more kind. If we can’t make changes, then we can’t make “America Great Again.” He gives a more liberal approach and a positive spin on what that political statement with his signature punk rock twisting hooks. The fundamental message of the album is to be more kind. Simple, but effective, because if we don’t do that, then we will be going nowhere; America will be going nowhere. This is how it feels right now, not only in America but for the whole world. During this time of absolute chaos, we need to put on our brave faces, make sacrifices to help others, and he reminds us that the only way to do this is to be courageous in times of uncertainty.

We can get through this no matter what happens, so why not do it smiling? Do not forget to smile during the small victories of everyday miracles. Right now, the world is singing the survival blues. It feels like the world is going to have a power outage blackout, and the only way for the world to light up is for everyone to find our common ground. But for now, it feels like we are all drowning and barely holding on together on a lifeboat. We need to be reminded during this time to hold on together.

Once we learn how to make little changes with a brave face being kinder, we can someday get it right.

I discovered Frank at my first show at First Ave Main Room in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in December of 2011. Frank Turner opened for the Dropkick Murphy’s. I caught his last two songs, and those songs changed my life. He is now my favorite musician, and I’ve traveled many times to see him. I’ll never miss an opening act again because you’ll never know who you’ll discover.

Please check out “Be More Kind,” as it is the most relatable album to our current day struggle.

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing to create more content, you can make a donation to my Venmo.