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In 2014, Seattle-based The Head and the Heart took a break and pursued other ventures. There were trips to Haiti to work for a non-profit, kung fu training abroad and for drummer Tyler Williams, a sojourn home to Virginia to dabble in a psych-rock side project.
When the members of the band got back together, they moved song-writing operations to a house near the beach in Northern California and recorded their new album, "Signs of Light," in Nashville.
"When we all got back together, it just seemed like we were a new band," Williams said, ahead of a sold-out performance Wednesday, Nov. 2, at the brand-new Eccles Theater in downtown Salt Lake City — the first concert set in the venue. "It felt like we all had different life experiences and different things that impacted us influentially. I just feel like we had grown so much as people that inevitably, the record was going to be a different sound."
What emerged was a brighter, poppier sound that Williams said is a byproduct of feeling "refreshed" in a way that the band hasn't felt since forming in 2009.
The sextet, best known for folk ballads like 2010's "Rivers and Roads," is also featuring a new lineup, bringing vocalist Jonathan Russell into the fold to help fill the void left by founding member Josiah Johnson's hiatus as he battles addiction.
Starting with single "All We Ever Knew," the band sticks to its thoughtful lyrics formula, but introduces a more anthemic, sing-along approach to move away from its acoustic roots.
Williams attributes it to "a different vibe" and getting away from the comfort of Seattle, removing the safety net of friends and family to fall back on every night to make working and recording the priority.
"I think it made us bond together a little bit more. We're all living together under the same roof and making music every day together," he said. "I think it made us a stronger band interpersonally and then going into a studio with a producer for the first time, we didn't really know what to expect."
The band tapped producer Jay Joyce, who's worked with artists ranging from Eric Church to Cage the Elephant, for "Signs" — allowing them to pursue the unfamiliar approach of having an outside voice in the room when recording.
"He is very much 'capture the essence of the moment and then move on and don't overthink it,' which was so helpful for us as a band. I feel like on the last two records, especially on "Let's Be Still," we'd overanalyze and then dull down certain personality traits," Williams said. "On this one, we let each member bring their influence to the band and trusted them to pull it off."
The drummer stressed that he and his bandmates weren't trying to make a statement that a new era was dawning, but that "Signs" is a natural progression in their career — a sign that they aren't clinging to acoustic folk when their influences range from the Beach Boys to Kanye West.
"Our goal was not to tear anything down or dispel any presumptions. I think our goal was to show people who we are honestly at this moment," he said. "You can't just play the same music over and over again or else you're going to get really bored. You're going to be really dulled down and not have anything to say."
The band is still in contact with Johnson, meeting up with him in early October at a show in Berkeley, Calif. Williams said there's no rush to get him back in the lineup, saying "we're conscious of what he needs as a human, not just what's convenient for us as a band."
With all the contributing factors — new band members, new settings, new sources of inspiration and new perspectives — what emerged was an album and direction the band is proud of and happy with.
"It's all these pressures, but at the end of the day, I think we're just going to try to create the work as honestly as possible about the situation while still giving privacy to Josiah," Williams said. "I think it helped us break through the mold that other bands or that we were stuck in at the time. It definitely pushed us to experiment, it was almost like a "well, what do we have left to lose."
Twitter: @BrennanJSmith —
The Head and the Heart
The Seattle-based folk-rock sextet The Head and the Heart, touring in support of its new third album, "Signs of Light," kicks off the brand-new Live at the Eccles series, with Declan McKenna, the young U.K. multi-instrumentalist behind the alt-radio hit "Brazil," which criticizes FIFA for awarding the 2014 World Cup tournament to Brazil while ignoring the country's impoverished population.
When • Wednesday, Nov. 2, 8 p.m., doors at 7 p.m.
Where • Eccles Theater, 131 S. Main St., Salt Lake City
Tickets • Sold out; artsaltlake.org