Into the Wide

Delta Spirit have long been a band that believe in the power of music to raise one’s spirit and get one’s blood pumping. It’s led to comparisons to Bruce Springsteen, The Waterboys, U2, and other performers who play with great expectations always on their shoulders. That doesn’t change on Into the Wide, an album written by Matt Vasquez in the band’s windowless Brooklyn workspace and recorded with Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Deerhunter) at Atlanta's Maze Studios. The emotional upheaval of Hurricane Sandy and nature’s destructive wrath unsettled these heavy hearts, and the reconstruction of their workspace mirrors a emotional sense of duty. “Push It,” “From Now On,” “Live On,” and “Take Shelter” are the album’s opening four songs, which work together like a necessary sequence where anthemic rock eventually slows down to take stock. There’s a spiritual sense guiding songs such as “Hold My End Up,” “For My Enemy,” and the title track. In a world often dominated by irony and distance, Vasquez and band insist on pure intentions and a purer heart.