The Head and the Heart

An indie folk ensemble drawing on Americana, country-rock, and the melodic pop traditions of the Beatles, The Head and the Heart came together in Seattle among transplants from the Northwest. Mainstream breakthrough arrived in 2013 with the second album, Let's Be Still, which reached number ten on the Billboard 200 and immediately topped both the U.S. Folk and Independent Albums charts. Follow-up releases Signs of Light and Living Mirage registered strongly on U.S. and Canadian rankings. The fifth LP, Every Shade of Blue, appeared in 2022 and contained the successful title-track single; October 2024 then brought "Arrow," the opening single from an anticipated sixth album.

The group assembled in 2009 after songwriters Jonathan Russell and Josiah Johnson first encountered each other at an open-mike night held at Seattle's Conor Byrne Pub. Rounding out the initial roster were pianist Kenny Hensley, bassist Chris Zasche, violinist Charity Rose Thielen, and Tyler Williams, who had previously drummed for Prabir & the Substitutes. The Head and the Heart spent the first half of 2010 touring the Pacific Northwest before independently issuing their self-titled debut that June. Buzz generated over the summer prompted overtures from multiple labels, culminating in a Sub Pop signing that autumn and a reissued edition—now featuring remastered tracks plus one new song—in early 2011.

Extensive touring occupied much of 2012, during which the band began composing material for its next record while still on the road. The members later reconvened in Seattle to record the sophomore album, Let's Be Still, released in 2013. Continued momentum prompted a move from Sub Pop to Warner Bros.; after a creative hiatus, the musicians tracked their third full-length and first major-label project, Signs of Light. Issued in September 2016, the album climbed to number five on the Billboard 200—their strongest showing at the time—and included "All We Ever Knew," the second U.S. Adult Alternative chart-topper. Co-founder Josiah Johnson departed amicably soon afterward, with Matt Gervais, husband of Charity Rose Thielen, joining in his place. The companion collection Stinson Beach Sessions, comprising unreleased demos from the Signs of Light sessions, followed in 2017.

After sustained touring, The Head and the Heart returned to the studio for a fourth album. Living Mirage, issued in 2019 on Warner Bros./Reprise, reached number 16 on the Billboard 200. The evocative single "Every Shade of Blue" surfaced in early 2022 and later anchored the album of the same name that April. An EP of acoustic interpretations from the record appeared in September 2022. By June 2024, tHatH had finished self-recording and self-producing their sixth album, previewed by the anthemic single "Arrow" in October 2024.