Inoculist – Spells

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Aside from the fact that I love it, I have a really hard time putting my finger on the sound Inoculist creates. It’s some mix of folk, jazz, indie, rock, and dreaminess. All those things combine to create a very unique sound that I struggle to find any sort of band comparison with.

I have little knowledge of the group aside from listening to their debut LP ‘Spells’ on repeat for the past week or two. It’s definitely an album to set a mood. What sort of mood that is? Not a clue. But I imagine it’s different for every listener.

This 4 piece from Brooklyn have something very special going on. Members John Hunter (vox/guitar), Ashlyn Davis (vox/piano), Ethan Schmid (drums), and Marc Merza (bass) have somehow come together to create a singular vision on creating music. The semi dark (not depressing) tone of the record is warm and always easy on the ears.

The drum sound is definitely one to find its place on any great indie record while jazzy guitar lines float through the tunes. Piano parts from Ashlyn fill out the sound and create another bed of warmth. The male/female vocal combination is one far from a Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell, Ida, or Mates of State sound. Slightly off and doing their own things at times, the two vocalists always seem to blend in a way that contributes a huge amount to the Inoculist sound.

Give a listen to the opening track from ‘Spells’.
Inoculist – Holy Name

If you want to grab the album (highly suggested), I recommend you do from Heart Break Beat. Also be sure to check out their other records listed for sale. I grabbed the Little Gold 7″ and will probably wear it out by the years end.