The Mezcaltones – The Mezcaltones Second | Album Review

You’ve just crossed the border into Mexico. You’ve been driving for hours without a break. You’re tired, thirsty, and sick of cacti. As the sun sets, you pull off into a roadside truckstop that looks like they pour a stiff drink. You make your way to the bar, order a drink, and settle in just as the house band begins to take the stage. That band is The Mezcaltones.

Hailing from Sydney, Australia, The Mezcaltones are a six-piece rock group creating hard-drinkin’ southern music fit for a spaghetti western film. Inspired by the style of Tarantino and Robert Rodrigues, the band’s sophomore record The Mezcaltones Second would sound right at home in a southern bar populated by vampires and criminals on the run. 

Album opener “For a Few Dollar More / Good The Bad and The Ugly (The Spaghetti Medley)” interpolates the iconic Sergio Leone score for a spellbinding introduction that eases the listener into the album with a sense of familiarity. As images of cowboy ponchos and tumbleweeds float through the air, things kick into high gear on “I Know My Rider” where frontman Don Too takes center stage for an intoxicating love song.

Other standout tracks include the rumbling “Short Change Hero” and “Na Na Na” which sports a catchy and fast-moving female chorus. Album closer “Let Love Reign” is a solo-laden rock track with shredding guitar, passionate vocals, and a long, celebratory outro. 

The Mezcaltones Second is an album of pure southern adoration, made for drinking tequila and speeding down deserted highways.