Signs of Light

In 2009, The Head and The Heart did something special. After the members met at an open mic in Seattle, they formed a band, wrote an honest album, tapped into a genuinely adoring fan base that grew by the millisecond, and became an instant hit. There was something in that eponymous album that felt completely relatable, made for everyone who’s felt the pressure of getting older (aka made for everyone). It wasn’t perfect; it was lovable. The band’s newest album, Signs of Light, seems to have lost a little bit of that purity. Each song feels so overly polished. To be fair, they’re not bad songs, but there isn’t one that stands apart from the next, and overall the album feels like it’s manipulated for the mainstream rather than naturally grown. Sometimes that kind of plastic pop can work, but knowing this group is capable of something much stronger makes it a bit disappointing.