Whether you’re sitting fireside, taking a stroll down memory lane, or looking for an excuse to let the wine run out, on Tucker Pillsbury’s third album as ROLE MODEL, Chuck Timely & The Hourglass, the Maine-born singer-songwriter trades indie pop for warm country twang and slow, swaying ballads.

Across the 12-track record, time is the throughline. ROLE MODEL explores making the most of what’s left, letting things slip away, and longing for what the future has to hold.

“Chasing Midnight” is the daydreamer of the album. Here, ROLE MODEL is full of longing. That same yearning carries into “Service Receipt,” where the singer draws from Mick Fleetwood’s stomping percussion and Christine McVie’s early piano riffs. Pillsbury asks in the chorus, “What’s one more night, standing by the window watching cars go by? One more night wondering what I coulda done to make you mine?” Whether you’re sitting by a cozy fireplace or staring up at the moon and stars, these pleas make desperation feel a little less lonely.

There’s no better way to describe “Good Thing” than as the perfect slow-dance song. It’s a track to fall in and out of love to, and had it come out earlier, it may have been the perfect addition to the A Star Is Born soundtrack. “Love I You” sits listeners down at their local bar, a drink or four in, stumbling over words while admitting a crush or two. Pillsbury sings, “My words blend together, but love I do” and “I’m sweet but I’m messy but love I you.” It’s reminiscent of Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day,” bringing back the quaint, earnest sounds of the early 2000s. Listen closely, and a rowdy crowd chanting, “Chug, chug, chug,” can be heard in the background, adding another layer of lively barroom chatter.

“Song Is All You Get” could be a line-dancer’s dream ditty, but it lacks the quick-witted lyricism that Pillsbury usually has up his sleeve. Even the track’s honky-tonk bass and shimmering tambourine fail to disguise its droning chorus – I guess “sometimes a song is all you get.” “Stain” follows with ’70s-inspired drum kits and fluttering flute melodies but suffers from the same weak refrain. Pillsbury sings, “It’s a stain that I’ll never get out. It’s a stain, the kind they warn you about,” a chorus that never quite lives up to the strength of the song’s instrumentation.

But his storytelling redeems itself on “The Wedding” – potentially one of his best-written tracks to date. The tearjerker bleeds straight from heartbreak hotel, as Pillsbury attends a friend’s wedding only to be overwhelmed by his own emotions, eventually realizing that true love does, in fact, exist – even if it has once slipped away.

While not a stark departure for the charting pop singer-songwriter, a number of tracks on Chuck Timely & The Hourglass bring some “Joy” back with a happy-go-lucky summertime groove. What would have made all the difference for this record: an earlier release date, giving listeners the chance to soak in its glow throughout the hot, sunny days.