Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by Cheryl Waters, host of The Midday Show on KEXP, is "Virginia (Wind in the Night)" by The Head and the Heart, from the 2022 album Every Shade of Blue on Warner.
Beloved local band The Head and the Heart return this spring with their fifth full-length, Every Shade of Blue, recorded at Studio Litho here in Seattle, where they made their first two albums back in 2011 and 2013. “It was almost like coming back home,” guitarist/vocalist Jonathan Russell told Consequence of Sound. “We used the same engineer, Shawn Simmons. There was this balance of old and new, being familiar with the studio but bringing somebody much newer in his relationship with us.”
On today's Song of the Day, Russell pays tribute to his homestate. "Being from Virginia, for me this song represents a long and winding relationship to place – a place that is grounding. I’m often drawing on my life through symbolism as a way into someone else’s psyche,” he said via a press statement. “It’s part of my search for a deeper connection without having to compare our experiences directly. There is a reason this song has two titles. One is literal and one is symbolic. Not everyone is from Virginia, I know that. But I bet you have walked home and heard the wind in the night.”
The Head and the Heart perform two nights – August 12th and 13th – at Marymoor Park. Check out a visualizer for today's featured track below, and revisit the band's most recent visit to the KEXP studios back in 2019. Every Shade of Blue will be released April 29th via Reprise/Warner.
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