Within seconds of hearing Gabriel Birnbaum’s deep, syrupy vocals, several names spring to mind. Evoking Magnetic Fields singer Stephen Merrit, but with the folksy croon of Handsome Family vocalist Brett Sparks and the slurred swagger of Elvis Costello, Birnbaum draws from a plethora of influences for his solo project, Boy Without God.

Though a mere 23 years old, Boston native Birnbaum has already paid his dues in bands like Catholic Skin, The Abraham Lincoln Brigade, Drug Rug, Eli Reed, and The Tiny Tornadoes. He opted for the solo artist route in 2006, and has since released six home-recorded EPs and two full-length albums under the Boy Without God moniker. His newest album, Your Body Is Your Soul, finds Birnbaum pairing low vocals with high fidelity, spinning his acoustic tales of love and inadequacy into buoyant, witty, and touching meditations.

For your downloading pleasure, we’ve got the endlessly catchy and charming ditty “If You” and the Xiu Xiu-esque, slightly batshit “Holy Holy Little Fist“. You can also read CMJ’s interview with Birnbaum here.