Eric Tollefson has always worn his heart on his sleeve. The Seattle-based singer-songwriter’s first two albums – 2009’s “The Sum of Parts” and 2012’s “The Polar Ends” – were slow-motion collisions of folk, pop, blues and rock that soared high despite the weight of the intense emotions that fueled them. Simply put: He knows how to build a tune.

Never has that been more evident than on his new album This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things. Tollefson’s third effort finds the native Alaskan going back x-song parts, to his proven bag of tricks and pulling out even more beauty. Here, Tollefson showcases his ever-evolving sense for songcraft, with memorable melodies delivered meticulously across a killer band’s groove. Truly, Tollefson’s songs have never sounded so warm and intimate, as if they’ve been sustainably sourced straight from his deepest reaches.

There’s a reason for that. He has found a family of top-flight musicians and renowned studios that have helped bring This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things to life. The album was produced by Justin Armstrong(Dave Matthews, Preservation Hall Jazz Band), and writers/players include The Head and The Heart’s Josiah Johnson, Matt Hopper, Eric Heywood(Ray LaMontagne) on pedal steel, Sam Kearney, Andrew Joslyn and Rebecca Chung Filice on strings, Polyrhythmics horns/Art Brown, Scott Morning, Marmalade horns/Chris Littlefield, Jon Reyser, Jeremy Lightfoot on bass, and Mike Stone, Karl Olson, Jared Forqueran on drums. 

He has been lucky enough to share stages with Marcus King, Allen Stone, Robert Randolph, Donavon Frankenreiter, and many others.