Remedy Drive's "Scars To Prove It" Spotlights Love’s Triumph Over Darkness

By Timothy Yap Aug 28, 2024 08:20 AM EDT

Following a trilogy of critically-acclaimed recordings decrying slavery and amplifying voices impacted by human trafficking, justice-driven rockers Remedy Drive inaugurate a new era of music with Friday's highly anticipated Scars To Prove It. Produced by group co-founder David Zach, the 10-track set finds Remedy Drive turning their spotlight inward, exploring the enduring bonds of family and friendship through the lens of love's indomitable power over darkness.

"This album is really special for us," Zach says. "It's shaped by the longstanding friendships between the four of us. My brother Philip and I started the band in 1998, and Timmy Jones and Dave Mohr joined in 2010 and have been touring on and off with us for 14 years now. I'm so thankful that I get to make music with these three amazingly talented musicians. I love the tones and atmosphere that Dave's guitar brings to the songs. I love how Timmy's drums are always looking for a way to sing a duet with my vocal or a piano or guitar line, and Philip's bass continues to be such an important cornerstone of our music."

Scars To Prove It celebrates the dichotomy of joy in hardship and peace in pain, themes reflected in Zach's life as a suburban American husband and father who also serves on the harrowing frontlines of human trafficking rescue efforts around the world.

"Making this album has been a much-needed dive into my own struggles, shortcomings, and hope against the backdrop of war, exile, and despair all around," Zach reveals. "I've looked into the darkness for a long time, and it's important to see the shadow for what it is if I'm going to be able to tear a little corner off the darkness. But I've learned that it's also important to remember the temporary nature of corruption in contrast with the enduring quality of dangerously unselfish loving actions. There has to be a place in my heart of hearts that mirrors the high beauty beyond the reach of shadow. I hope this album helps remind me, and anyone listening, of a Hope that will outlast the very stars."

Highlights of Scars To Prove It include album opener "Cover Me," a synth-driven plea for rescue penned by TobyMac, David Zach, Paul Zach and Dave Wyatt; "Empty Spaces," articulating humanity's God-shaped hole amidst worldly excess; the moving "Empress In Exile," a nod to Remedy Drive's ongoing commitment to fight slavery; and the tender determination of "Scars," a particularly poignant track for Zach.

"My understanding of Divine Love has been heightened by knowing that there's nothing that my kids could do that would make me love them any less or be any less devoted to their wellbeing and their futures, and this comes into focus in the title track, 'Scars,'" explains Zach. "I've written most of these songs as my children are hitting their teenage years. I've had three teenagers in my house up until our son, Jack, left for college. This special window of our lives with him was so brief and you can hear some of that play out in the music. My kids have always influenced my songwriting these last 18 years, from the Daylight era and before, but it's more explicit on Scars To Prove It."