Based in Philadelphia, Spelling Reform is an indie rock band consisting of Jim Gannon, Tom Howley, Mark Rybaltowski and lead vocalist Dan Wisniewski. Introducing themselves with debut full-length No One’s Ever Changed back in 2016, the outfit displayed a knack for frantic songs that combined the richness of power pop with a distinctive lyrical focus that brought to mind The Weakerthans and The Mountain Goats in its confident buoyancy.
Spelling Reform are back with Stay Inside, a brand new record that signals something of a change of direction for the band. Gone are the breakneck tempos and snappy sounds of previous releases, replaced by what the band call “introspective, mature and quiet-loud missives and character studies.” Ironically, the influence of John K. Samson still hovers over the sound, though this time it’s less to do with the racing energy and more the intelligent and inventive lyrical style. The slow-burning nature the songs allows a far more considered approach in terms of lyrics and themes, as highlighted by the sprawling single ‘The Chicago Board of Trade‘, where Wisniewski stretches out into the newfound space with an idiosyncratic eye for detail.
Today, we’re happy to share ‘The Second Coming,’ a brand new single ahead of the release of the record next week. Opening with a paschal warmth worthy of the title, the song sets up an earnest tone before the vocals skew the mood with a cynical irony. Though far from being a lesson in spiky scepticism, it’s the song’s quirkiness that truly stands out, because the brightness of the introduction not only remains present, it is grown through call-and-response refrains and a playful guitar solo. If the sincerity in Wisniewski’s vocals by the final chorus doesn’t quite find salvation, then it is at least enough to push the needle back to agnostic doubt, where nothing is ever set in stone, and the possibility of wonder remains.
