The Wandering Hearts at Mercury Lounge

In 2015 in London, England, Tara Wilcox operated her own singing school and Tim Prottey-Jones was a multi-instrumentalist session musician, singer, and musical theater actor. The two met when they both performed at a music venue and discovered that they had similar musical inspirations and aspirations. As they started to sing together, friends introduced them to vocalist/guitarist A.J. Dean (formerly of the Bluejays) and vocalist/mandolin player Francesca "Chess" Whiffin, also a former musical-theater performer. The acoustic alt-country/folk/pop quartet initially called itself the Paper Hearts and uploaded two songs onto the internet. Within 30 minutes, the group was "discovered" and, within a month, the group had a recording contract. The band changed its name to the Wandering Hearts, recorded a debut album, began playing at festivals, and won the coveted Bob Harris Emerging Artist Award at the UK Americana Awards. The Wandering Hearts so far released one studio album, 2018's Wild Silence.

Great Britain has its own folk music, but a rising number of British bands are following the steps of Mumford & Sons in embracing Americana music and giving it a pop veneer. The Wandering Hearts may be the next band to cross over. Headlining at Mercury Lounge tonight, the quartet was equal parts back porch hoedown and Fleetwood Mac pop. Accompanied by two acoustic guitars, an occasional mandolin and a tambourine, the group's big sound pivoted on sweet and seamless two, three, and four-part harmonies. Speedy finger-picking and joyful, rousing choruses then punctuated the songs. The arrangements were simple but were burnished for flawless perfection. Many of the current stateside Americana bands could pick up a few pointers from the Wandering Hearts.