Album Review: Delta Spirit - Into the Wide

On their fourth full-length LP, Into the Wide, California-natives Delta Spirit blend styles from their first three albums. By scaling back on the rock instrumentation from their previous, self-titled release, the band has created a new, root rock sound.

On their first two albums, Ode to Sunshine and History From Below, the band drew comparisons to Mumford and Sons and other folk-rock bands due to their more acoustic nature. After adding a new guitarist in Will McLaren, their third LP took on a harder rock sound, shying away from acoustics and adding heavier riffs and drum lines.

Those heavier rock influences are still evident on Into the Wide, specifically on “From Now On” and “Language of the Dead.” However, many songs have a hybrid of the styles. On “For My Enemy” the bass heavy drums are paired alongside a piano, and “Take Shelter” features a piano overpowering the bass during the break between verses. This new hybrid style suits Delta Spirit well as it allows lead singer Matthew Vasquez’s raspy vocal to rip through the song.

The album begins slowly with the opener “Push It.” However, the slow tempo does not detract from the song or the album as a whole. A beautiful piano melody echoes throughout the whole track as Vasquez reaches nearly a yell in the chorus, filling the song with emotion.

And while the album can become monotonous on some of the longer, slower songs, faster tracks like “Live On” and “From Now On” help to vary the pace and keep the listener interested.

Into the Wide finds Delta Spirit experimenting with a mixture of their previous styles. Reverting back to some of their roots, while keeping some of the new, Delta Spirit has created an album that is distinctly their own.

Delta Spirit will play the Cat's Cradle on September 17 with EDJ. Tickets are $15 via Ticketfly.