The core sound of “Polaroid Lovers” is rich and bright, nodding to the folk-pop of '70s Laurel Canyon and the commercial heyday of Fleetwood Mac, who placed bright acoustic instruments at the forefront of pop-rock.
Jarosz hadn't strategized the album's bold sound; arose from his collaborations. “Daniel Tashian was actually the first person I met to write with when I started communicating with different writers in the city,” he said. “We just get along well. And I think naturally, working with him, this growth and blossoming into this other sonic territory started to happen. But everything was guided by the songs.”
The album was largely recorded live in the studio, over just nine days. “I never heard her play or sing a single wrong note in the entire recording of this album,” Tashian said in a video interview from her studio. “I have a feeling that was because she really prepared herself. “She gives excellent performances.”
“Jealous Moon” opens the album; Written by Jarosz and Tashian, it is an energetic country-rock anthem about separation and regret, with an octave mandolin solo. “Here we are under a torn sky/Honey, I don't know why I flew away so soon,” Jarosz sings, regretful but looking forward.
Another song, “Runaway Train,” is an upbeat collaboration with Jon Randall that wouldn’t be out of place on mainstream country radio, savoring its similes: “You got a heart like a runaway train/Screaming down the mountainside.” .
Jarosz recognizes an evolution in his composition, but not towards Nashville formulas. “At first, writing felt more like a diary entry, a little more confessional, with your heart on your sleeve,” he said. “As I got older, I started to feel more like a storyteller. I can still tell my story, but I would like to do it in a way that other people can find their story in it too.”
Getting to the heart of the song “is what's important to me,” he added. “It is an endless journey for the composer. You never really want to reach the finish line or say, “Well, I figured it out.” That will never happen. And that's why it's great.”
