Book/Spirit is a Brooklyn-based rock band formed in 2018, known for blending second-wave emo, ’90s dreampop and shoegaze, post-punk, and even touches of krautrock and jam-band improvisation. Their dual vocalists and guitarists, Pete Ferrari and Mike Susa, write lyrics alongside bandmates Micah Evans (bass) and Garrett Troy (drums), building songs together from the ground up. Even when their music leans darker or more experimental, their strong melodies and hooks keep everything grounded. With a sound that’s both adventurous and timeless, Book/Spirit has quickly become one of the most exciting rising acts in New York’s indie rock scene, and they are announcing this week that they signed to New Jersey label Mint 400 Records. We caught up with this exciting band and here's what we learned:
How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
We actually all met on Craigslist back in 2018. I first met Mike — our other singer and guitarist — at an audition for an indie folk band. That singer didn't really vibe with Mike cause she found his playing "too loud", but I love loud guitars and loved his playing, so we started jamming on our own. We brought Garrett in on drums, and before long he and Mike had booked a show without a full lineup or any songs yet. They called me, and the three of us scrambled to write a set in about a month.
After that first show — under the temporary name The deBlasibros — Garrett suggested Book/Spirit, a play on Heidegger’s matter/spirit dichotomy. It just felt like the right name for what we wanted the band to be.
Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?
I’ve been playing guitar since I was five because I was obsessed with Raffi, which is an unusual but very real origin story. I started my first band in eighth grade and played in a long line of high school and college bands. After college I took a break and thought I might be done, but eventually I got the itch again and pulled me back in. Book/Spirit is the first band I’ve been in here.
First concert that you ever went to?
Technically my first concert was Raffi, but my first real show was Dashboard Confessional in 2003, right in the throes of my emo phase. I also grew up going to a lot of local shows around Chester County, PA — YWCA halls, grange halls, coffee shops. That DIY scene is a big part of what made me fall in love with live music.
What's your writing process like?
Usually one of us brings in a riff or a demo, and we’ll start jamming on it in practice to see where it wants to go. The songs tend to evolve pretty organically — a lot of twists and turns, a lot of collective shaping — until the structure starts to reveal itself.
Once the music feels right, either Mike or I will handle lyrics depending on who’s singing. Lyrics usually come last for us, after we’ve spent time living with the song for a bit.
What other artists or songs inspire your music?
We all have pretty wide-ranging tastes, but the overlap — the Venn diagram center — is a bunch of classic guitar bands. Dinosaur Jr., Pixies, Yo La Tengo, Pavement, and The Replacements are all huge for us. Those bands taught us a lot about texture, noise, melody, and the beauty of songs that feel both loose and intentional.
We covered “Tugboat” by Galaxie 500 at our first show. Learning covers is usually a struggle for us, but that one was mercifully straightforward.
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be its own thing?
They're totally different animals. The record is like a snapshot of where a song lives at that moment in time, but live we’re always experimenting, pushing things around, and trying to find new angles.
We’re big pedal people, so recreating and reimagining our guitar sounds is a huge part of the fun. Our producer tends to rein me in when we’re recording, so I definitely let myself get a little more pedal-happy on stage. Every night feels different depending on the room, the crowd, and whatever energy we bring into it.
What has the show experiences been like? Best shows, worst shows, etc?
We haven’t done a full tour yet, but we’ve played a bunch of regional one-off shows. If everything lines up the way we hope, 2026 should be our first proper run through the Northeast and beyond.
Some standout shows for us have been Union Pool in Brooklyn and Amityville Music Hall on Long Island — both had incredible crowds.
As for worst shows, we once had a venue double-book the night, pushing everything back several hours and shortening everyone’s set. To top it off, I broke a string on the first song. At a certain point you just have to laugh and power through.
What's up next for the band?
We’re finishing up our next album now, and we’re excited for people to hear how the band has grown since Easements. Signing with Mint 400 Records is super exciting for us — it feels like the right partner for this next record and more.
We’re hoping to keep releasing new music as soon as we can and start mapping out our first real touring schedule for 2026. There are a lot of places we want to get to, and we’re ready for that next step.
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