Tired Hearts

Think of Tired Hearts, the new album from rising, indie-pop trio Bailen, as a highly charged electrical field. Opposite charges attract, similar charges repel, and the current is set in motion. On this, their second full-length album for Fantasy, the New York City based siblings, Daniel, David, and Julia Bailen heighten the musical tension, and deliver a dazzling set of songs that incisively navigates the space between the heart’s expectation and the head’s sober reality. A masterful follow-up to Bailens accomplished debut, 2019’s Thrilled To Be Here, Tired Heartsbeats with empathy, vulnerability, and resolve. 

Produced by Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Waxahatchee) and recorded at his home studio in Durham, North Carolina, Tired Hearts’ taut, synth-driven tracks are centered around Bailen’s radiant harmonies and futuristic arrangements furthering the group’s exhilarating avant-pop evolution. 

By way of example, the dopamine saturated “Nothing Left To Give,” and the high-wattage New Wave dance track “Call It Like It Is,” seem destined for playlisting greatness. The evocative “These Bones,” a touching parable of reconciliation and the alluring “Love You Blind,” connect with assured simplicity. Meanwhile, the title track’s dramatic sonics skillfully underscore an aching portrait of betrayal, the dreamy folk-ballad “Relic” recalls the best of early-period Bee Gees, and the stunning “BRCA” gracefully unties a complex knot of familial anxiety, guilt, and acceptance. 

On Tired Hearts, their exquisite new album, Bailen learns how to dream in the face of life’s uncertainty and in the process, moves forward aware, resilient, and hopeful.