Heart Theory (stylized in all lowercase[1]) is the fifth studio album recorded by Canadian singer and songwriter Lindsay Ell. It was released August 14, 2020 through Stoney Creek Records. The album is Ell's first full-length body of original work since her label-supported debut The Project in 2017. Heart Theory is a loose concept album whose tracks explore the seven stages of grief.[2]
Content
The track listing for Heart Theory goes through the seven stages of grief in order, as follows: shock ("Hits Me"), denial ("How Good" and "I Don't Love You"), anger ("Want Me Back", "Get Over You", and "Wrong Girl"), bargaining ("Body Language of a Breakup"), depression ("Good on You"), testing ("The Other Side" and "Go To"), and acceptance ("Make You" and "Ready to Love").[2] The majority of the songs lyrically explore the impact of various forms of heartbreak on Ell's personal life.[3] "Make You" was the last song written for the album and references Ell's past experiences with sexual abuse; she established the "Make You Movement Fund" supporting at-risk youth, domestic abuse and sexual assault survivors in conjunction with the song's release on July 7, 2020.[4]
Singles
"I Don't Love You" was released for download and streaming on November 8, 2019. It was serviced to American country radio on December 9, 2019 as the album's lead single.[5] "I Don't Love You" became Ell's second career entry on the BillboardCanadian Hot 100, peaking at number 99, and became her fourth top-ten hit on the Canada Country airplay chart with a peak position of 6. Conversely, the song peaked at number 48 on the American BillboardCountry Airplay chart, becoming her lowest-charting single in that country.
The album's second single, "Want Me Back", was released June 25, 2020 and impacted American country radio on July 13, 2020.[6] It was the most-added song at country radio in the United States during its official add week.[7] The song experienced high consumption among consumers during the release week for Heart Theory and resultantly debuted at number 35 on the Hot Country Songs chart.[8]
Critical reception
American Songwriter wrote that Heart Theory was a "career-altering, masterpiece of an album" that takes "rising artist" Ell "into legendary territory."[9] Mae Trumata of The Upcoming rated the album three stars out of five and wrote that the relatable nature of the songs was a "double-edged sword... that downplays Ell and her music's individuality."[10]
Heart Theory was Ell's first release to chart in the United Kingdom. It did not enter the UK Albums Chart, but did enter the subsidiary UK Album Downloads Chart at number 39.[14]Heart Theory also entered the UK Country Albums and UK Independent Albums charts at numbers 5 and 32, respectively.[15][16]
