The Head and the Heart (album)

The Head and the Heart
Studio album by The Head and the Heart
Released	April 19, 2011
Genre	Folk rock
Length	39:26
Label	Sub Pop
The Head and the Heart chronology
The Head and the Heart (2011) Let's Be Still (2013)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Pitchfork	3.8/10 [2]
The Guardian	[3]

The Head and the Heart is the first studio album by folk rock band The Head and the Heart, released on April 19, 2011, on Sub Pop. A deluxe edition of the album was released in August 2011 and included 'Chasing A Ghost' (live), 'Josh McBride' (Live), and 'Rivers and Roads' (live). ^[4]

Initially, the band had self-released the album in June 2009, selling it at concerts, by word of mouth, and through local record stores. In the ensuing months the album sold 10,000 copies. ^[5] Their music plays heavily on the trio of vocal harmonies, piano and violin melodies, and prominent drums and percussion. It was the top-selling album of the year 2010 for the independent Sonic Boom Records in the band's home neighborhood of Ballard, Seattle. ^[6]

The song "Rivers and Roads" was used in the series finale of NBC's Chuck , in the 16th episode of the seventh season of CBS's comedy How I Met Your Mother , 19th episode of the season finale of Netflix's Manifest, at the season finale of the fourth season of Fox's series New Girl , and in The Good Doctor .

Track listing

All songs by Josiah Johnson, Jon Russell, Charity Thielen, Kenny Hensley, Chris Zasche, and Tyler Williams.

The Head and the Heart track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Cats and Dogs"	1:55
2.	"Coeur D'Alene"	4:21
3.	"Ghosts"	4:18
4.	"Down in the Valley"	5:03
5.	"Rivers and Roads"	4:44
6.	"Honey Come Home"	3:21
7.	"Lost in My Mind"	4:19
8.	"Winter Song"	2:43
9.	"Sounds Like Hallelujah"	3:10
10.	"Heaven Go Easy on Me"	5:40

Personnel

• Charity Rose Thielen – vocals, violin, percussion
• Josiah Johnson – vocals, guitar, percussion
• Jonathan Russell – vocals, guitar, percussion
• Tyler Williams – drums, percussion, vocals
• Chris Zasche – bass, vocals
• Kenny Hensley – piano, vocals
• Chelsey Duff, Colin Isler, Kevin Matley, Yakup Trana – Additional Instrumentation
• Steven James Aguilar – producer, recorded by, mixed by
• Shawn Simmons – producer, recorded by
• Kevin Matley – producer

Commercial performance

The Head and the Heart peaked at number 109 with 4,000 copies sold on Billboard 200. ^[7]

Charts

Chart (2011–12)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard 200 [8]	109
U.S. Billboard Folk Albums [8]	3
U.S. Billboard Rock Albums [8]	23
U.S. Billboard Alternative Albums [8]	18
U.S. Billboard Independent Albums [8]	14

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [9]	Gold	40,000‡
United States (RIAA) [10]	Platinum	1,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Phares, Heather. ""The head and the heart"". AllMusic . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
2. ""The head and the heart"". Pitchfork . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
3. Hoby, Hermione (July 30, 2011). ""The Head and the Heart: The Head and the Heart – review"". The Guardian . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
4. Heavenly Recordings press-release
5. Leahey, Andrew. "Best of What's Next: The Head and the Heart". Paste Magazine. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
6. "And The No. 1 Selling Record Of 2010 At Sonic Boom Ballard Was ..." Sound on the Sound. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
7. Caulfield, Keith (October 23, 2013). "Pearl Jam Earns Fifth No. 1 Album On Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
8. "US Billboard Chart History". Billboard . Retrieved September 9, 2011.
9. "Canadian album certifications – The Head and the Heart – The Head and the Heart". Music Canada . Retrieved October 22, 2024.
10. "American album certifications – The Head and the Heart – The Head and the Heart". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved October 22, 2024.