Howling Bells, by and large, did not write for Heartstrings until more than two years following the release of their previous album, The Loudest Engine.

Original Howling Bells bass guitarist Brendan Picchio, left the band and was eventually replaced with Gary Daines.

[4][6] During this period, native Londoner Gary Daines replaced original Howling Bells bass guitarist Brendan Picchio, who left the band.

[9] The songs on Heartstrings are a culmination of all the experiences of the last decade, being on the road for years, turning away and starting families and then coming back to it.

[12] During October 2013, Juanita, in a creatively inspired bout, wrote songs every day in the basement of her North London home and exchanged them back and forth amongst the other members of the band to collect ideas.

[1][8] According to Juanita, the album is filled with extreme highs and lows which resemble what the band has endured over the years.

Juanita stated that the title means the most emotional of feelings and it seemingly captured the open and expressive nature of the album.

[14] In November 2013, Howling Bells recorded Heartstrings over an eleven-day period at Assault & Battery Studios in North London.

[1] The album was predominately produced by Marks but Moulder periodically came to the studio where he gave insight and perspective, and ultimately oversaw the process.

[9] The piano on "Paper Heart" was played on a Grotrian-Steinweg Concert Grand Piano that was previously housed at Abbey Road Studios and was owned by English audio engineer, musician, and record producer, Alan Parsons (The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons Project).

[16] Howling Bells wrote "Heartstrings" (the title track), a few years prior, but were never content with its outcome so they suspended the song's recording.

[7] It was mixed on Pro Tools with a Chandler Limited 16 x 2 Mini Rack Mixer and ran through an EQ, as well as a compressor.

The lyrics for the single evoke the forsaken state of heartbreak and how a person in that situation will embrace anything that may restore the relationship.

[46] Luke McNaney of The Music Fix, rated the album 8/10 and referred to the band as "louder and more intimate than ever...eight years on [Howling Bells] still deserve to be considered a serious proposition.

He likened the album's opening riff on "Paris" to that of something that resembled "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" by Pink Floyd, and declared "Euphoria", as "a song Roy Orbison would have been proud to call his own".

[48] Lisa–Marie Ferla of The Arts Desk, rated the album 4/5 and professed that "Heartstrings" (the title track) "is easily one of the most beautiful things the band has ever done".

[50] Charlee Redman of mxdwn, is another critic that liked the album, but referred to both "Your Love" and "Heartstrings" (the title track), as "calm ballads that border on sappy".

He also added, "[Howling Bells] are still seductive, fiery and invigorating, but oddly with age there seems to be chinks of weakness in their tenderness".