Wide Awake

Editors’ Notes Pop-rock romantics Parachute have been on a steady, remarkable ascent since 2009’s “She Is Love,” which songwriter Will Anderson purportedly wrote to try and coax girls to come see their shows. It worked. Soulful, upbeat, crowd-pleasing but sneakily sophisticated, Wide Awake is a rootsier album than 2013’s Overnight, trading some of the band’s electronic and dance-music flourishes for Hall and Oates-style soul (“Lonely With Me”), feel-good gospel (“New Orleans”), and love songs sung with a heavy heart but remarkably light touch (“Jennie”).