It is perhaps proof that the world is an increasingly small place these days, that a sound that takes its very name from a particular geographical place – in this case, Tex-Mex – has a thriving scene half a world away. The Mezcaltones make music often more authentic than the scene that inspires them, and their blend of alt-country, roots, rock’n’roll, blues, and surf rings with all the hallmarks of a well-seasoned bar band playing a residency at the Galveston surf club in 1962.
The brilliantly named Big Hat No Cattle is their fifth album, and it is a blistering collection of songs that wander across a landscape that is both nostalgic and celebratory while continuing to make such music relevant and revered in the modern age.
“The Drop In” is a “Peter Gun” inspired intro song, all rock and roll resonance and surf band twang. “I’ve Been Thinkin'” is one of those girl gets even groovesome, country-rock and roll duets, and “Don’t Take Your Guns To Town” is a Kris Kristofferson-style cosmic cowboy tune, rocked up by a whole band of cool guitar slingers.
Reference points are both real and imagined. They are the bar band from Dust ‘Till Dawn. They are Johnny Cash turned surf dude. They are the spiritual heirs to Los Lobos. They are Robert Rodriguez’s favorite band…(unconfirmed, but probably.) They are dust-covered, hillbilly surf cowboys, and the most extraordinary aspect of the whole extraordinary deal is that the dust is that of Sydney, Australia!
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