Nash: It felt like putting a well-worn dress back on to me. I think everybody’s stronger in all ways since the breakup. I think we’re playing together better than we ever did.

CCM: Your comeback album is a Christmas album. That’s a strange way to make a comeback.

Slocum: Honestly, when we were getting back into this, we were a little bit nervous about how to make a re-entry and how to get back into the game. We relied heavily on [our label] to sort of guide us in the re-entry process. It seemed a little strange to us, to be honest, that that was what they suggested. But we kind of went along with it and ended up having a great time in the process. From a studio standpoint, it was fun to get back with some great hymns and Christmas songs. What we came out with we’re both really proud of.

CCM: The Dawn of Grace is a beautiful name for a disc dealing with Christ’s first advent. In a way, it seems like you’re embracing your spiritual background more than ever before. Was that a conscious move on your part?

Slocum: I think that doing a Christmas record kind of allowed us to explore our spiritual background more. We delved back into the Christmas lyrics that meant the most to us and even sort of composed songs and lyrics about the birth of Christ. It was really special to do that. That title, The Dawn of Grace, is fitting for both of our lives—in a way, we’ve both seen a dawn of grace in our lives, even apart from this Christmas record.

It was really good for us to do that, to explore that side. I’m hoping that’s going to spill over into the making of the next full-length record, too—exploring that side more.

CCM: Would you say that’s something that comes with getting older and wiser?

Slocum: It’s a sign of maturing and growing and realizing that it is a simple, straightforward thing that ended up meaning the most at the end of the day. [It’s a] feeling [of] wanting to express your own personal theology that makes sense to you and you feel so strongly about, that you want to share it with others.

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