The Lumineers

On The Lumineers’ self-titled debut, everything is precisely planned: when the music swells, when it cuts suddenly, and when the metallic guitar will replace the piano, or join on top of it. Throughout all these abrupt changes, frontman Wesley Schultz’s voice remains. Though the folky instrumentals are well executed and carefully manipulated, Schultz’s delivery is inherently more distinct. His vocals have a sheer, stringy, stretched-out quality to them, which lends him some extra space to whisper, or snap with twang. On “Stubborn Love,” he uses that space to shout soulful lines like, “It’s better to feel pain than never feel at all.” With such heartfelt lyrics and intricate instrumental details, The Lumineers feels like a labor of love, but love is hardly the exclusive emotion that went into this record. The band’s attention to detail matches the album’s backstory — some of the songs on The Lumineers are more than four years in the making. The result is a debut record that’s as stunning as it is indicative of great things to come. The Lumineers play the Lobero Theatre (33 E. Canon Perdido St.) on Friday, October 5. Call 963-0761 or visit clubmercy.com for tickets and info.