Pop rock band the Fray released their third album Feb. 7. “Scars & Stories” is a collection of songs that deals with love, loss and hope. The first single off the album, “Heartbeat,” was met with mixed reviews.

Following their self-titled sophomore album, released in February 2009, the Fray took a while to issue this CD.

During an interview on Canadian talk show The Marilyn Denis Show, lead vocalist Isaac Slade and guitarist Joe King voiced the reasons behind their hiatus.

“I don’t think any of us knew we’d be in it (the band) for this long, and after a while you just get kind of tired of each other,” said Slade.

However, the Muppets and Jack Daniels brought the Fray back together. Drunkenly recording “Mahna Mahna” for “The Muppets,” Slade and King were able to put aside some personal differences and the band found new life.

The band wrote 70 songs for “Scars & Stories.” Twelve made the final cut.

Writing songs was a therapeutic process for King, who was experiencing feelings of loss after a long relationship came to an end.

“The piano became a place of refuge,” said King.

At a Boston concert, Slade explained that King was not the only one overcoming something during the writing process. The album’s title gives a nod to the obstacles and the triumphs every member has gone through.

“I think we like the idea of scars you know, because they’re healed…They are not like wounds necessarily, but they’re still kind of a road map of where you have been, and sometimes kind of a point to where you want to go,” said Slade.

Upon listening to this third album, listeners will not be wowed by new sounds; however, for avid fans, this is not a bad thing. Strong ballads and upbeat rhythms accompanied by bittersweet piano notes have come to be expected by fans of the Fray.

The songs are new, yet they sound exactly the same. The only thing that has changed is the lyrics.

With that said, if listeners are looking for something different, they will not find it on “Scars & Stories,” despite the band members’ claims of personal growth.

For better or worse, the Fray has proven their songs are as steady and reliable as a heartbeat.