Forrest Frank Essentials

Forrest Frank specializes in a mellow brand of inspirational pop that would make a perfect soundtrack for poolside Bible study. While his secular project Surfaces blew up in the late 2010s, the Houston-born musician quietly released solo records under both his own name and the moniker Forrest. until the single “No Longer Bound,” featuring Hulvey, became a CCM favourite in 2023. The song offers a casual, lo-fi spin on praising God that sounds like little else climbing the genre’s charts. Spiritual themes notwithstanding, Frank’s solo music plants its feet in the same warm sands as Surfaces; both blend hip-hop with chillwave and ’70s yacht rock. Even when Frank tackles gospel standards on his second full-length, 2023’s New Hymns, he suffuses the production with the pastel hues of a Caribbean sunset.