Of the new album, frontwoman Addie Strei says, “In the end, I don’t think this album best represents Adelyn Rose’s current sound, but I love this album for what it is.”

Even lead singer and namesake of the band, Addie Strei, will tell you that the band’s soon-to-be-released album, Mezzanine, is a different sound than what they’ve evolved into, but both versions of local group Adelyn Rose definitely have heart.

The new album is a 10-track trip back to your childhood backyard, running barefoot through the grass until summer’s last glow fades into night.

Just as the band’s sound has changed, its members have, too. Adelyn Rose consists now of Strei, Dave Powers on drums, Leo Strei on bass, and Ian Jacoby on keys. The band’s newer sound leans a bit more heavily on rock elements, while effortlessly maintaining its folksy roots.

The new album is a 10-track trip back to your childhood backyard, running barefoot through the grass until summer’s last glow fades into night. The transitions are sewn-together pieces of everything from vintage radio to babbling water, which only add to the album’s do-it-yourself feel and genuineness.  If you’ve seen Adelyn Rose play live any time over the past two years, the album will sound familiar. Even if you haven’t, you’ll still appreciate the unassuming quality of the album. It’s not presumptuous or over-processed, but not altogether a wallflower, either.

The band’s latest sound has evolved into something more assertive. “For a while I didn’t know if I wanted to release this album because our band sound and my songwriting has matured and changed a lot since these were recorded,” said Strei, lead singer and guitarist. “But we want it out there because, well, we recorded a whole album-worth of songs and that’s awesome.”

“Even though we have changed a lot, it might be cool for people to hear how things started,” said Strei. “There are a lot of layers. I’d lay down an acoustic track and piano and vocals, and then Paul (Brandt) would work some synth magic or layer on some guitar with cool voicings.”

Those layers and “voicings” are apparent on the album. Chords utilizes piano and wind instruments that crescendo into vivid percussion interlaced with Strei’s vocals. Winter Comes is perhaps the most interesting song on the album, beginning with vocals from the full band and ending with almost-clashing dissonance that absolutely works.

Lyrically, the album is perfect and filled with the same vivid imagery we’ve come to expect from Strei. You, the last track, conjures easy images of a sun-soaked lake, even ending with the subtle sound of moving water, leaving the listener in a place both timeless and fresh.

The original band, consisting of Strei along with her brother Leo, Pat Kuehn, and Paul Brandt, began the recording process two years ago in the spring of 2010, completing the album at the end of that summer. But Strei said it didn’t feel quite right, and the songs didn’t sound like what they were intended to be. “So then we started tweaking,” said Strei, “And that turned into rerecording a vocal take, then a whole song, and then the whole album.”

“In the end, I don’t think this album best represents Adelyn Rose’s current sound,” said Strei, “But I love this album for what it is: it is our first album.”

Adelyn Rose recently played a long string of live shows on their three-week, 15-city East Coast tour in January. Strei and bandmate Powers comprised the version of the band that toured, paired with local band Kalispell. Aside from playing in cities spanning the coast, the trio couch-surfed, went hiking, and met a puppy named Spaceship. “It was a blast, and we’d love to do it again,” said Strei, noting that they may try to put together a tour this summer.

Adelyn Rose will debut Mezzanine at their House of Rock release show on March 9, with friends Wisconsin Built, a fellow local band, and Seymore Saves the World, of the Twin Cities.