Delta Spirit’s new album, History From Below, sloughs off dead skin cells and invigorates weary bodies. This California band’s brand of folk feels fresh and clear, earnest but fun.
“Bushwick Blues” immediately stands out as a reaffirmation of affection from a heart scrubbed raw. The staccato bass and piece-y vocal phrasings build up until the final chorus, where singer Matthew Vasquez growls up an octave and summons the entire song’s momentum within these last few measures. The vocals shred (“Because my love is strong”) with jolting candor (“and my heart is weak”) then cue the free fall (“after all”): an electrified cliff dive of drums and guitar. The musical intensity of this admission renders a confession more spry than somber, leading the listener to revel in the revitalizing properties of emotional vulnerability.
Delta Spirit guides dying souls back to the living, knowing when to push and when to hold a hand. Offer them yours at Middle East Downstairs, Monday, June 28 at 8 p.m.