Spirits [LP] Vinyl Record

The beauty of The Devil Makes Three is the way they take an old-time musical genre and, by putting their own imprint on it, turn it into something that lives and breathes anew, passing the torch to a new generation, just as stateside rock fans learned about the likes of pioneers Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly from the first wave of British Invasion bands. With their latest album, Spirits, the band continues this tradition by incorporating their signature punk, folk and bluegrass sound along with country and singer-songwriter leanings.

“That’s what we set out to do. We wanted to use these musical forms to talk about current issues,” explains Pete Bernhard. “We didn’t want to just sing about trains and mining and drinking. For myself, it didn’t seem relevant. Folk music should be about what’s happening now, just as it was when Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan did it. Our music is not just a re-enactment of something old and dusty.”

The song titles alone describe the band’s return to a stripped-down, drum-less sound and songs that reflect the ongoing struggle to survive amid the uncertainties of the current volatile climate: “Dark Gets the Best of You,” “Divide and Conquer,” “Ghost are Weak,” “Hard Times,” “I Love Doing Drugs,” “Poison Well” and “The Devil Wins.” The tracks were recorded at Dreamland, part of a converted church compound outside Woodstock in upstate New York which offered some haunted moments of its own, with plenty of spooky thunderstorms and lightning.

“There’s definitely a theme of ghosts and death running through this album,” acknowledged Bernhard, who lost his mother, brother and closest childhood friend while making the record. “It also has a good amount of political material, a reflection on how divided people are these days, just trying to find common ground. Not being able to perform our music live led to some deep reflections.”

The Devil Makes Three have a very loyal, dedicated and diverse fan base that wouldn't necessarily spend much time together. With Spirits the band hope to continue to bring together all sides to listen to the band's take on personal hardships as well as shared struggles.