Photo: Loren Wohl

Based on a listen to “Informers,” singer Shay Spence of Brooklyn band Vassals needs to get his act together before he ends up on Hoarders. “Box of forgotten paperbacks/a packrat can’t let go/each one held to my nose” he sings over an insistent two-note bassline that brings to mind Spoon with shinier production values.

As the song builds, it becomes clear that old books aren’t the only thing Spence is holding on to. “You took this hand as a prize/now your palms are black and you act so surprised.” Not long after this bitter bon mot, Vassals’ confident strut begins to gallop in to something significantly less restrained. “With all of our recordings, we’ve been striving to do more with less and to create specific spaces,” says Spence. “It was originally written as a slow folk ballad, sort of lamenting the loss of innocence. When we started playing it as a band it took on a different tone. Instead of woe, it actually revels in immorality, like if when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge, instead of donning fig leaves in shame, they just smiled up at God and shook their naughty parts around.”

For a free download of “Informers” and more from Vassals, check out their Bandcamp site.