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Today, Mapache - the cosmic California country duo of Sam Blasucci and Clay Finch, who Aquarium Drunkard deemed "a blazed-up Everly Brothers" - announce the March 20 release of From Liberty Street, their debut album for Yep Roc Records.
The band has shared the video for lead single "Life On Fire," a psychedelic meditation on longing, desire and change, along with an interview over at KCRW, who say "Mapache's chemistry is undeniable." Check it all out here: https://kcrw.co/2NokZMB
Pre-order From Liberty Street here: https://lnk.to/fromlibertyst
Produced by longtime collaborator Dan Horne (Beachwood Sparks, Cass McCombs, Allah-Las), From Liberty Street - named for the Los Angeles home where they lived and recorded all these songs - captures Mapache at their finest, weaving airtight harmonies around stripped-down, organic arrangements that draw on everything from Mexican boleros and Hawaiian-steeped surf to Bakersfield twang and lonesome cowboy campfire tunes. Throughout these songs, Mapache exhibit a captivating musical bond that mirrors the comfort, closeness, and camaraderie of the album's homespun roots.
Sam Blasucci and Clay Finch met in high school, where they bonded over their mutual love of skateboarding and classic songwriters. After graduation, Finch headed North to study music at Chico State, while Blasucci headed South to Mexico, where for two years he immersed himself in the musical traditions of his surroundings. "Writing and singing in Spanish was also reflective of life on Liberty Street," says Finch. "Mexican culture and music are intertwined into the fabric of the neighborhood and shaped our experiences living there."
Largely written on the road, the 14 songs on From Liberty Street find Blasucci and Finch in a largely contemplative, itinerant mindset. "A lot of these lyrics started coming together late at night in hotel rooms around the country," says Blasucci. "When you're on the road traveling from place to place and you don't have anything tying you anywhere in particular, you naturally start to look for some sort of spiritual home or stability, and I think a lot of songs on this record are searching or pleading for something more concrete and rooted."
The result is an indelibly pan-Californian sound: Album opener "Life On Fire" sets the tone, riding a slack, Dead-indebted groove. "Cactus Flower," which features Sara Watkins on fiddle, finds romance in a night alone with a lover and their dog as it showcases Blasucci and Finch's near-telepathic intuition and gorgeous harmonies. The duo's take on the classic bolero "Me Voy Pa'l Pueblo" dreams of returning home after a long journey, and exhibits the well-worn chops the duo have developed on the road.
Late last year, Yep Roc reissued Mapache's self-titled debut from 2017, which was cut live and raw around a single microphone. Praised by Aquarium Drunkard, UK magazine Shindig and others, that record helped the band earn festival appearances at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and Pickathon, where Rolling Stone named their set one of the weekend's top highlights, as well as tour dates with Chris Robinson, Beachwood Sparks, and Mandolin Orange.
Mapache will announce more US tour dates, including a trip to SXSW, soon.
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