Cincy slowcore/indie band Spoils have released their latest EP, Nothing For a Man, via Happy / Families (which falls under the eclectic Torn Light umbrella). Out today on Bandcamp, it follows on the heels of their debut EP, 2022’s Find Later - a lovingly constructed and fully formed introduction to the band and what they’re all about. Nothing For a Man takes the band’s central thesis - dreamy indie pop that pokes and prods at various indie rock concepts - and expands on it in all directions.

Just a couple weeks ago, the band dropped their single, “Come Closer,” - we wrote a bit about it here - and what we said still very much applies to the album as a whole. There’s a shaggy quality to the record, but it’s more endearing and an obvious aesthetic choice, and most importantly, it works really well. After the moody intro, the band slowly works their way through four tracks that sway between melodic, jangly indie and almost-but-not-quite anthemic rock, creating a sort of fuzzy, slightly psychedelic melange of future singalongs.

“David” builds on itself with layered vocals and twangy, sometimes shimmery guitar work, while “Figure It Out” starts quiet, and increases the intensity until it plays itself out over a reverby, subtle riff. “Riverbed (Redux)” is a simple, yet powerfully constructed mini-ballad sans the bombast. Strings, guitars, mild percussion, a quiet vocal delivery, it’s a really lovely lead into the EP’s final track, “Come Closer,” which is the EP’s most energetic and rock-oriented of the bunch, and includes some of my favorite vocal work on the album.

All told, it’s a really solid record, and incredibly easy to listen to several times in a row (I say from recent experience). I hope to see a lot more from this young band soon.