Album Review: Delta Spirit - Delta Spirit

Delta Spirit's ascendant journey has been a swift one. Since releasing their debut long-player in 2008, the San Diego quintet have enjoyed touring alongside household indie magnates Cold War Kids and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, released a follow-up album, and expereinced the honour of playing Coachella last year. Their self-titled third album is the latest and it's a solid revisit of what they do best; blending soulful Americana with an approachable indie-pop wash.

There's some interesting texture created in the opening tracks with some clear preference for the old drum machine, in this case set to a sporadic almost jungle drum beat in Tear It Up, with high guitar strums cascading behind singer Matthew Vasquez's pleasantly nasal delivery. California brings some ballsy dirge alongside shimmering distortion, and Idaho gives the band their point of difference; their very indie-rock use of jangly guitars and synth sparkles is perfect alongside Vasquez's nostalgic, almost 1970s American folk scene upper-octave vocal.

The only failing with Delta Spirit's self-titled effort is the mid-section. It's a bit like a wet bedsheet pegged at either end on a clothesline; a strong start and finish but the middle sags. There's just a slight loss of direction following the change of pace in the sweet but deep and ominous sounds of Home. Tellin' The Mind and Time Bomb seem to spin off in a melodramatic fashion, with almost Chariots Of Fire-like synth lines, some Rolf Harris-inspired oral percussion sounds, and Vasquez's vocal grating slightly during repetitive and forced phrases. But on the whole, it's a quite distinct milestone in their journey towards a unique sound within a genre already crowded by their indie-rock peers.