San Antonio-based Abandon releases its acclaimed sophomore album, Control, next week from Forefront Records.

In the two years since Abandon’s Searchlights debut, the band has gathered a Dove nomination, widespread critical acclaim and tours alongside Fireflight, Building 429, Remedy Drive, Teen Mania’s Acquire the Fire, plus many major faith-based festivals.

Amongst all the activity, the modern rockers crafted Control, which finds the band taking the next natural evolutionary musical step, while also turning inward for their greatest lyrical depth.

Despite all the interactions with success and fame since first starting as an independent band in 2005, members have encountered through their vast travels (see current tour itinerary below) an even greater realisation of their constant dependence on the Lord, who is ultimately in control.

“Seeing something like the Northern Lights in person makes us marvel at the natural, God-orchestrated phenomenon happening in such a beautiful state outside of human control,” lead vocalist Josh Engler muses.

“Growing up, we were sheltered a bit and it’s interesting how your perspective of life changes. As we have toured, our core beliefs have remained intact, but it’s interesting how our ‘Northern Lights’ moments have changed our perspective.”

As Control builds upon Abandon’s Coldplay meets The Killers pedigree adding each of the individual band members’ personalities in the studio, Control’s musical muscle is thanks in part to split production duties between Paul Moak (Third Day, Mat Kearney, The Blind Boys of Alabama), Chris Stevens (who also helmed the band’s Searchlights), and Josh Silverberg, a relatively new knob twirler and member of Edison Glass. The resulting combination has sparked songs that are already gathering acclaim with music critics and radio alike.

Hitting the Top 10 at CHR Radio, “Feel It In Your Heart” continues to ascend the chart and becomes the first video from Control, debuting this week at www.myspace.com/abandon

The song finds the band casting aside life’s numerous distractions in favor of plugging into God’s plan, stirring up passion to go forth with an eternal mindset.

“They seek God and write music about it,” commends Aaron Gillespie (Underoath, The Almost) about Abandon. “I was super privileged to have the opportunity to write two songs with them on this new album. These guys are killer. Get their records, and hear their hearts. Genuine.”

Gillespie co-wrote “Push It Away” and “SOS” on Control, with the latter song becoming a Top 20 Rock radio hit, as the lead single from the album, “Hero,” a new recording of the song featured on Searchlights, became the surprise hit of the new album, landing at No 1 on both the Way-FM and Air1 radio networks’ charts.