Doll Spirit Vessel is a band led by Malison with friends Max Holbrook (Math the Band) and Lewis Brown. The band recorded their debut album at a rented cabin near Crater Lake, Oregon in December 2020, arriving with a car full of borrowed cables and instruments, rounded out by Guitar Center “rentals” and a few choice preamps and microphones. Despite this being the band’s first release, they’ve become a part of the Northeast DIY scene, performing shows around New England and joining Philly folk outfit Sadurn on a run of spring shows.
Deciding to be a rock trio can be a daunting task. Cutting the line up down to the bare essentials could bring an amped-up sense of feeling exposed to an already vulnerable situation. From the opening syncopated lines of Doll Spirit Vessel’s latest single, “Train Brain Rot”, the band competently steps up to the challenge and goes on to create a lush indie rocker that manages to reveal exciting new idiosyncrasies with each listen. It’s an incredibly tight performance that still somehow keeps the relatable, laid-back feel of your favorite 90’s slacker gem. Their debut album What Stays, is due out on August 12 via Disposable America.
“The chorus for Train Brain Rot was the very last thing I wrote for the record. At the core of ‘What Stays’ is me dealing with the ephemeral nature of life, and Train Brain Rot is about embracing that impermanence, fighting the urge to view yourself as fixed, and sacrificing comfort and stability for a freer if more vulnerable existence,” says Malison.
