MAR 31
THE HEAD AND THE HEART TEASE EMOTIONAL TRACK "COP CAR"
BY LUNA CARDOSO
The Head and The Heart, indie-folk favourites, are welcoming in a new era with their upcoming album Aperture, to be released on May 9. Aperture, the band's sixth studio album and first self-produced work since their 2011 debut, marks a thoughtful and energetic creative shift. In anticipation of the album, 1824° held a press conference with the band to discuss their latest work, including their inspiration for the explosive track Cop Car.
During the conversation, frontman Jon Russell shared a profoundly personal reflection on how Cop Car came to be, a track that holds a special place in his heart.
"It was during one of our writing sessions in Richmond, Virginia," Jon explained. "We were working on songs and certain things-you offer them up freely, without hesitation, creatively speaking. However, I realised something was blocking my ability to be present. Something in my personal life was weighing me down, and I hadn't told anyone about it." This candid sharing of personal struggles is a testament to the band's courage and vulnerability, inviting listeners to empathise with their journey.
Jon described the process of crafting Cop Car as an almost subconscious experience. "We had this bed of music going, and I just went into the vocal booth, closed my eyes, and did this sort of stream-of-consciousness take. It turned into a series of vignettes of things that happened over time, with the imagery of being in a cop car as the through line. You know-flashing blue lights at night, driving through the city, dwelling on choices you've made and the consequences. It's about grappling those choices and how they affect the people around you."
Photography by Shervin Lainez
For Jon, the song offered a cathartic release. "I typically go back and do a dozen drafts before I present something to the band or the world. But this time, I was moved by how raw it was, and I tried my best not to fix it, not to make it prettier or more presentable. It's a little scary, but it's also like seeing someone before they get ready for the day—that's a part of who you are, and I wanted to leave it all in there."
Jon also highlighted the collaborative nature of the band's creative process. "Tyler [Williams] added a bridge where he's singing from this perspective of someone who's known me since high school, and he's seen some of my repetitive patterns. He summed it up beautifully. Then Kenny [Hensley] had an idea for the outro, which borrows from a gospel tune, lifting the song at the end with a little hope. In general, it feels like a collage—very raw but very real."
Cop Car, with its raw emotion and multilayered storytelling, captures Aperture's highly introspective but expansive nature. While the song has yet to be released, listeners can expect a powerful and deeply personal song that embodies the band's uncompromising honesty. If this tune is any indication, The Head and The Heart invite you to join them in reflecting, feeling, and growing in this new period.
