Returning after a six-year hiatus that saw
Delta Spirit
splinter into a profusion of musical side projects and personal endeavors,
What Is There
sees the west coast-bred indie rockers deliver a spirited collection of songs that, for the most part, is in sync with the anthemic electro-pop of 2014's
Into the Wide
. Commencing with "The Pressure," a kinetic slab of sleek, inward-looking modern rock that flirts with
Killers
-esque grandiosity, the sturdy ten-track set is a pop album above all else, but still honors the group's roots music beginnings. Lead single "How Bout It" flirts with blues and gospel, and makes excellent use of
Matthew Logan Vasquez
's expressive voice, as do the heartfelt ballads "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" and "Just the Same," both of which are built largely on a chassis of folk, country, and Americana. The funky "It Ain't Easy" provides the most immediate thrills, with
Vasquez
vamping like an adopted
Scissor Sister
over a slinky disco groove, but it's a relative outlier.
parses the myriad hardships of life, loss, and love with veteran professionalism, but where in the past the band's pop acumen was accompanied by flashes of teeth, there now exists a sort of inert
Coldplay
-meets-
the War on Drugs
uniformity that keeps the big moments from landing. Nowhere near their best effort,
still manages to retain enough of the widescreen essence of its predecessors to transcend its fixation on sonic baubles.
are less interesting as purveyors of synthy guitar rock but they're still compelling enough to warrant more than a cursory appreciation. ~ James Christopher Monger