Seattle indie folk band The Head and the Heart released its fifth studio album, “Every Shade of Blue.” In 57 minutes of poetic lyrics and folk pop ballads, the band explores love and life with an optimistic tone.

The album opener and title track begins with warm strings reminiscent of the latest Rex Orange County album “Who Cares?” and becomes a more upbeat folk pop song like Mumford and Sons. It’s a song about loving someone through all of their hardships, in “every shade of blue.”

The lyrics at the start remind me of the sentiment near the end of 2020. “It’s been a long year, the wrong year / to be left alone” — creating a relatable image of the detrimental mental health effects of isolation in the pandemic. That said, the calming, upbeat drums and strumming acoustic guitar warms your heart with a reminder that despite whatever sadness or hardship you experience, there is still love for you out there.
“Virginia (Wind In The Night)” — a single for the album — carries the same uplifting instrumentals as “Every Shade of Blue.” Warm strings, bitter sweet pop piano chords and echoing guitar sounds adding depth and emotional reflection.

The chorus brings a double hook, with vocals singing “wind in the night” layered over “Virginia don’t sound like she used to.” Immediately after, Jonathan Russell sings “but I can feel her heart beating for me, baby.” Despite the melancholic start, the optimistic lyrics that follow affirm the bittersweet, uplifting feel of the song. Its message is likely about growing up and returning to an old home, even recovering from a lost relationship from a hometown and making a place that was once home feel different.

The layered, upbeat and emotional feel in “Virginia” makes it one of the strongest on the album.
However, uplifting folk pop is not the only genre on this album. “Paradigm” — the album’s third track — is much like a song from The Weeknd with a folk twist, like electronic pop with hints of folk. Soft, almost falsetto vocals feel soothing over a subtly funky bassline. The song also features a heavily processed and delayed guitar that sounds like an intro to the wild west along with a programmed drum machine.
In the second half of the album, “Starstruck” has a more electronic, dance pop feel to it. It has a more prominent electronic drum beat with less drawn out vocals. Yet with less of a focus on folk, there is still a folk element, with a softer and more intimate vocal timbre throughout the song.

“Every Shade of Blue”’s latter half also includes more stripped down ballads. “Taking My Time (Wrong Woman)” is a simple piano ballad, with some background guitar near the end. Soulful, intimate vocals talk about being cautious in love after falling for the wrong person. The song feels as if there is one man with a piano in a small room, singing directly to you while you sit next to him.

As a whole, The Head and The Heart gives listeners an intimate experience with poetic lyrics and bittersweet folk pop in its latest album. “Every Shade of Blue” may feel a bit cheesy to those who aren’t a fan of folk music, but those who love The Lumineers and Mumford and Sons will probably find this album to their liking.