The War Within is songwriter John Harter's lasting musical legacy. His music is groundbreaking in that it successfully fuses a wide variety of musical and aesthetic traditions. Modern worship music, hip-hop, electronic sounds, indie rock, and more are all fair game for The War Within, whose vision is refreshingly open-minded. Just hearing a couple of their songs will give you a sense of their originality and creativity.
While the band's sound is reminiscent of upbeat styles like Christian pop, its melodic content is more akin to indie or contemporary emo-rap. The options for someone as talented and versatile as John are practically limitless. John combines his music with lyrics that are both profound and relatable, which is what gives The War Within its distinctive sound. His songs focus on the never-ending fight against one's own self-doubt, darkness, and fear. The project was given the name "The War Within" for this very reason. It's a metaphor for the way we human beings can feel torn between the forces of good and evil, knowing that we all struggle with our own demons even as we cling to the hope and freedom that Jesus offers.
It's clear that music is a wonderful form of self-expression for The War Within, an artist who is clearly inspired by and deeply invested in his subject matter. One of the project's central tenets is John's desire to create music that is both uplifting and intimate. He hopes to reach out to others and impart the principles of his Christian faith through the medium of music. John is fond of repeating, "It's okay to not be okay. Jesus is our starting point." Being an artist gives him a voice to reach out to others and spread uplifting messages through music and words.
The group just dropped a 40-song album of cover tunes. Given that we now live in an era where most artists prefer to release single after single, rather than laboring over a lengthy album with many tracks, this is an astounding accomplishment. This album was released in 2021, the same year that John wrote and released his most introspective and landmark work to date, an EP titled "Crisis Of Faith." The album's powerful opener, "Become Everything I Hate," sets the tone for the album's four other songs: "How You Love Me," "Don't Save Me," and the title track, which is still one of the artist's best.
The reflective "What If?" from the subsequent EP Stone Heart was also released by the beginning of 2023. The eerie tune promises even better things to come. His music has a mystical quality to it.
Listen to The War Within on your preferred streaming service, and be sure to keep up with the group wherever you hang out online! You can follow John's musical and creative endeavors that way.
Website: The War Within
YouTube: The War Within - YouTube
Instagram: The War Within - Instagram