On The Head and the Heart’s new album, “Let’s Be Still,” the masters of indie-folk do anything but stand still. The band’s sound moves forward on the release, and the snappier tracks will have listeners tapping their toes.

Fans of The Head and the Heart have anxiously awaited a sophomore album ever since the band’s 2011 self-titled debut. “Let’s Be Still” arrives with timely satisfaction. The band uses catchy synthesizer lines and an increased drum presence to build upon the first album’s successful recipe of vocal harmony, tambourine-assisted tribal rhythms, driving piano lines and haunting “ohs.” There is no “Rivers and Roads” found here, but the album leaves the listener with a few gems of a new sort.

The band matures lyrically on “Let’s Be Still.” The theme of the album marks a logical shift from the nostalgia of leaving home found in its debut to the mystified grandeur of being thrown into the real world. The theme is most evident in the chorus of the album’s title track, which states, “The world’s just spinning a little too fast / If things don’t slow down soon we might not last / The world’s not forgiving of everyone’s fears / The days turn into months / The months turn into years, so, just for a moment, let’s be still.”

The album feels danceable and upbeat. The influence of Seattle band Pickwick shows up in the album’s jumpy bass lines and triadic staccatos. The album also reveals the band’s resolve to give vocalist and violinist Charity Rose Thielen a larger role.

“Let’s Be Still” handles the balance between the band’s more raw first release and a more polished, mature sound effectively — until two-thirds of the way through the album,when the band begins to experiment a little too much.

Though the last half of the album veers in a questionably synth-filled direction, female vocalist Theilen brings a breath of fresh air on “These Days Are Numbered.” She sings contemplative lyrics over the sparse accompaniment of a single acoustic guitar on the tune, which suggests inspiration from modern folk-artist Langhorne Slim, and the harmonica solo is reminiscent of folk legend Bob Dylan. 

The finale of “Let’s Be Still,” “Gone,” begins with a chilly introduction that features accordion, banjo and quiet vocals. Synthesizers foreshadow the bridge, in which the swooping melody swells with piano, violin and harmonies. As the subtle presence of drums builds suspense, a chorus of intertwined “ohs” underscores thoughtful lyrics as the layers pile up for a climactic crescendo. As the last hit of the powerful bridge dissipates, a final line of piano melody plays and leaves the listener with a stunned, satisfying silence. 

For indie-folk fans, every song on The Head and the Heart’s self-titled debut was a masterpiece. “Let’s Be Still” grows on the listener with time, as did the band’s first album, and may even surpass the band’s debut with time. The theme of The Head and The Heart’s sophomore album is a resolve to look forward, and its fans should also look forward to more engaging releases like “Let’s Be Still” from the band.