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MercyMe will rock you. That's the main takeaway the band wants listeners to get from their music, which has long cohabitated more with such easy-listening kings as Steven Curtis Chapman and Casting Crowns than, say, P.O.D. or Pillar. Make no mistake, though—the band has not gone metal on us, but they have gotten more upbeat and aggressive, evidenced in their latest, Coming Up to Breathe, an album the band is bold enough to call their Jesus Freak or Lead Me On. In this interview with all but one of the band—frontman Bart Millard was back home in Texas welcoming the birth of his third child—they ranted and raved about their new album and how it came together creatively. And they said they really don't mind being called a one-trick pony.

You're known as an adult contemporary band. Why go the rock route?

Mike Scheuchzer (guitar) We've always been a rock band at heart. We've had hits that were not necessarily rock songs—like "I Can Only Imagine" and "Word of God Speak"—which are definitely part of who we are. But we really made this record for us more than anyone else. We wanted to write songs we wanted to sing, and hopefully others come along with us. So far people have been really excited about the change. We're taking a bit of a left turn, which isn't a drastic left turn. I mean, we're not Pillar.

It seems like an extension of your live show, which is very rock-based.

Scheuchzer It's who we are, and I don't think we've ever necessarily gotten that on tape right. Who we are hasn't translated to [our albums] quite right. So I think this is the closest we've come. It's not going to scare away the fans that we've got because of "Imagine." We've got songs on there like that, too. It was a fun process.

Songs like "Imagine" and "Here With Me" have been huge hits. Might this album be too edgy for some radio stations?

Jim Bryson (keyboards) I don't think it's so far out there that it's going to frighten people away. For someone who buys the album, there's always something that people are going to like. There's such a variety of styles. There's a little bit for everyone. So if you don't like it, then you probably don't like music (laughs).

MercyMe has more landmark songs than landmark albums. Why is that?

Nathan Cochran (bass) It could be worse. I understand what you're saying. I think some of the albums have felt a little disjointed at times. Some of that has to do with the fact that our last few records we've had to "throw together." Like at the end of a tour we've had to drive straight from the last show to come in and record. There wasn't really time for us to dwell on a song for a while. It was kinda like cramming for a test at the last minute.

For this record, it was the first time we actually set time aside only for making the record. We went to upstate New York up in the mountains and kinda locked ourselves away. We were up there for no other purpose than to record. The studio we went to, Allaire, was a bed-and-breakfast also. You walked down the hallway into the studio after having slept in your room all night. You wake up, eat breakfast, walk in the next door and go to the studio.

Scheuchzer And it was in the middle of nowhere, so there are no distractions. We weren't going to hang out. There's this studio in Manhattan we talked about going to [but didn't] because we were really inspired to go get pizza or go to music shops. Way too many distractions.

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