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Another key track is "Homesick," which some are already heralding as the next "Imagine." What's the story behind that song?

MillardMy brother-in-law, who was 20 years old, was killed in a car accident January 3rd of this year. Around that time, I went through a four- or five-week period where eight people passed away that I all had ties with. I was beat down, and his passing was the most unbearable pain I've ever felt in my life. It talks about getting the raw end of the deal when your loved one passes on and you stay here with the pain of not having them. Of course, having that person as an investment in heaven really makes you homesick all the more. We're just passing through this place, and heaven is our ultimate home. I never intended it to be a sequel to "Imagine" and I'd trade it in a second to have him back.

Did all the previous attention force you guys to be more diligent in the studio?

MillardWe've approached it with integrity, which is something that you need; otherwise you shouldn't be doing this. We've always been a rock band at heart, so I think you'll see a little bit more progressive, mainstream music influence coming in. We've also spent more time and money on production and have wound up with a record we're really proud of. On every record, usually there's a song or two that are a bit weaker, but right now we're pretty excited about all of them.

Scheuchzer during aguitar solo

ScheuchzerWe wanted to make the best record we could because the world is watching. We needed to make something on par with the Matchbox Twenties of the world. We've worked our butts off to bring glory to God. I think we've been less lazy now coming off a career that's mostly been cemented in Christian music.

What type of pressure comes with the "one hit wonder" tag line often thrown around in the mainstream?

MillardI think there's a personal pressure, never from the label or anybody else. Having that kind of success does stretch you out personally and makes you want to continue doing well, just because so many people are working for us. We have a crew, a label, and a road pastor that are a part of making this work, and we want to be able to keep them around.

ScheuchzerWell, hopefully trying our hardest and following God's lead will make people latch on once again. Honestly, I was thinking lately about the mainstream labeling that can come from having a huge hit out of nowhere, but I was reassured from a recent conversation I had with tobyMac. He said, "There are no one-hit wonders in Christian music because they're the most loyal listeners in the world." I'm not worried about losing our job per se in the Christian world. I just want it to be known in the mainstream that we haven't settled and become content musically.

What can we see beyond the record in terms of bridging worship music with popular culture?

ScheuchzerWe want to tour with Smitty [Michael W. Smith] again and we're working on the schedule right now. The hope is to have a festival style setting in outdoor amphitheaters and just present a time of worship. He's always had mainstream appeal too, so that should hopefully draw more people in the presence of worship we're seeking to create. Worship's become a much broader thing than just singing. To us, worship's become lifestyle; it's an attitude of the heart that's more than what's on PowerPoint for us. It's fun to see God redefine it for us and it's really cool to see how it works on radio and in concert settings.

Undone, MercyMe's highly anticipated follow-up to Spoken For, releases on April 20, 2004. For more about the band, visit our artist page, where you'll find previous interviews and reviews. To listen to sound clips and buy MercyMe's music, visit Christianbook.com

Concert photos by Andy Argyrakis

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