“Maldita” keeps the energy up but changes the vibe, going from dance party to sultry. This track has changed from its original release in September of last year to the version you’ll find on Tex Flex, with some changes in vocal lines to accommodate a change in the band’s lineup and a few changes in the overall mix. These changes are a bit surprising to hear if you’re familiar with the original version of the track, but it’s still “Tex Flex” and it’s still TLB. As the second track, it solidifies your introduction into the world of Tex Flex and fully immerses you into that vibe. Once you hear this one, you won’t be able to put the album down until it’s finished.
A change in theme from fun and sexy to sweet and in love, “Fall in Love Again” showcases one of the biggest things that drew me to The Last Bandoleros in the first place, their tight harmonies. The vocals are pulled far enough forward in the mix to allow you to hear every note being sung in the chord, nothing gets lost. Diego’s lead vocal is sweet and romantic, and the stripped down instrumental lends itself to the track’s romanticism – love is the focus.
Love stories can be told in many ways, through passion, through sweetness, through pain, but “California Moon” evokes beachy ghost story. Take a listen and you’ll see what I mean.
Brought together by their shared manager Martin Kierszenbaum, singer Hannah Brier joins TLB for this track, lending her beautiful alto to a verse and chorus harmonies, blending brilliantly with Diego’s lead vocal. “California Moon” is a love story with an end, told hauntingly and beautifully, truly a testament to TLB’s musicianship and storytelling abilities.
Out of the sweet and into the silly, we find “Friend Zone.” TLB themselves talked about not taking themselves too seriously with this one in our interview, and with it sandwiched between two slower, more serious tracks, it provides a lightness and comedic relief, keeping the listening audience from getting too introspective. After all, “Tex Flex” is supposed to be fun! Drummer Emilio also mentioned that this track showcases bits of slang from their culture, so while it may just seem like a fun track at first listen, it’s deeper than initially meets the ear.
Flowing out of the whimsical and into the more emotional, “Mi Amor” is a full Spanish language bolero, evoking emotion from the listener even if they don’t actually know what the lyrics mean. Bassist and keyboardist Diego mentioned not being able to speak much Spanish, but with the three bandmates being Hispanic and having grown up immersed in the Tejano music scene, they grew up singing in Spanish, so the ebb and flow of Spanish lyrics comes naturally to them. Upon first listen, the use of strings around the middle of the track dropped my jaw – strings are something I’ve yet to hear on a TLB track. For me, “Mi Amor” is one of the biggest highlights of Tex Flex, brilliantly showcasing the band’s roots and chilling harmonies, both things I’m always excited to see from these guys.
Bringing the energy back up, “Somewhere in Texas” may be the most reminiscent of earlier TLB tracks than anything else on the record. It employs that classic upbeat, driving rhythm and tight harmony-laden chorus that you’ll find all over their first record San Antonio (released only in Germany), but it still feels like “Tex Flex.” This is one of two tracks from Tex Flex that I heard on the road multiple times last year, and hearing its evolution into a final studio track was so exciting, shifting into a bigger, less acoustic/more electric sound. Maybe it’s because it makes me nostalgic for their live shows, but “Somewhere in Texas” might be my favorite track on the record.
Staying light and peppy, “In Between” touches on the ambiguity that can come from an unlabeled relationship, but spins it in a positive light. Even listeners who don’t relate to the exact story the song is telling will still get the hope and positivity embedded in the track. There’s a hopeful feel to it that makes the listener want to brighten their mindset. I find myself feeling more positive after listening, feeling happier and more appreciative of the moment I’m in.
Sonically a complete 180 from the track before it, “That Kind of Cowboy” comes in strong and dark. One of my favorite songs from their live shows last year, this was the track I was most excited to hear when getting my advance listen of Tex Flex. At first listen, it shocked me. Of the two songs I heard live last year that find themselves on this record, “That Kind of Cowboy” has changed the most, shifting from a loud, grungy rocker to a more reigned in, slower storyteller of a song. It retains the haunting quality that made me fall in love with it in the first place, and it couldn’t be a better track for guitarist Jerry’s voice. He handles his vocal line with such care, providing the stability that this mix of “That Kind of Cowboy” requires without losing the badassery the lyrics evoke.
“That Kind of Cowboy” flows effortlessly into the first of two covers on Tex Flex, “Sin Un Amor.” Originally by bolero trio Los Panchos, Jerry shared during our interview that this trio first became popular in the early 1930s and 40s and he heard many of their songs from his grandfather. After having sang several of their songs at his grandfather’s funeral, he began to fully discover Los Panchos’ music, and shortly after, “Sin Un Amor” became a staple at Last Bandoleros live shows as an intro to one of their most popular songs, “I Don’t Want to Know.” Now on Tex Flex it’s been given its own life, twice as long as it used to be at live shows, and stands on its own. Their vocal blend in their harmonies on this track blow me away; they certainly have the voices to stand as their own bolero trio if they so choose to.
To brighten up the ears once more before the end of the record, perhaps the biggest surprise for me on my first listen to the record, is “Something Else,” a more modern cover of the Eddie Cochran tune from 1959. Diego explained that the idea for them to cover this one came from their manager Martin, and Diego’s voice couldn’t have been more perfect for it. It embraces their love of and influence from rock ‘n’ roll with just enough of their own flavor to make it theirs. If you didn’t know it was a cover, you wouldn’t suspect; it fits right in on Tex Flex.
The record ends with two bonus versions of two album tracks, “California Moon (Spanglish Version)” and “Somewhere in Texas (Unplugged),” both of which show different but equally beautiful sides to each original track. Ending the record with two already familiar songs brings a sense of comfort to Tex Flex and further makes this record something you’ll want to come back to again and again.
The release of Tex Flex marks the official beginning of a new era for The Last Bandoleros. As a longtime superfan, I can’t wait to see where this record and era take them (hopefully to a city near me and anyone reading this soon!). For now, I’ll just turn Tex Flex up loud, pour myself a drink, and party, and I think you should do the same – you won’t regret it!
