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For anyone who's been suffering through the third heatwave of the summer, with temperatures set to rise again at the end of this week, the new single from Texas duo Briscoe will feel like a refreshing breeze blowing over from the Lone Star state.
The title track to their forthcoming album, Heat of July, due out in September on ATO Records, is an effortlessly cool steering wheel tapper that'll make you want to wind the windows down and turn the car stereo up as loud as it'll possibly go.
“Raised in the heat of West Texas, the song 'Heat of July' feels like a personal theme song," the duo's Philip Lupton shared. "Growing up in the heat taught me to savor the cooler moments - those fifteen minutes of soft blue light just after the sun dips below the horizon. That feeling is something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. Memories like long drives to reach any city of significance, the smell of rain on hot asphalt, and the fleeting nature of a summer fling - these are the moments I wove into the song. They’ve left a lasting impression, and no matter where life takes me, I’ll never leave behind the heat of July.”
A delightfully anthemic blast of countrified indie folk, it'll be a must-add to any Summer road trip playlists for fans of Noah Kahan and Medium Build.
"Hot July keeps breaking in / Something about it makes me feel like I’m home," the Austin based duo sing on their melancholy soaked road anthem. "Days are getting long again / And the people start to moving real slow / But heaven I know just how to wait on the cool of the day / I’ve been living nearly half of my life in the heat of July."
Produced by Grammy-nominated Brad Cook (Waxahatchee, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats) and featuring a “folk supergroup” including Watchhouse and studio musicians who have performed with artists including Bon Iver, Houndmouth, and Hiss Golden Messenger, 'Heat of July' is the latest taste of the forthcoming album from Philip Lupton and Truett Heintzelman, the Austin based duo known for their signature intertwined vocals and relentless touring alongside acts like Noah Kahan and Dave Matthews Band.
The duo wrote the album while on the road, as they traveled across North America, on one of their many road trips through the desert of Arizona, playing everywhere from Canada to Cancun, and 'Heat of July' brings those road trips vividly to life.
"We learned how to write music from behind the wheel," Philip says, thinking back to the show-filled schedule that helped transform Briscoe from Texas' best-kept secret into national torchbearers of timeless American Roots. "Coming up with melodies in our heads, without a guitar or piano nearby, was a necessity for us during those tours. We were on the road so much that we had to become more mobile with the creative process."
The forthcoming albumis inspired by the brutal summer heat of West Texas in title, but offers a wide-angle view of the American landscape and shares their journey, both geographic (Lupton is an ex geology student) and emotional, celebrating two great friends at their creative peak, and a band stepping confidently into its next chapter.
"I studied geology, so driving through Arizona is like me being a kid in a candy store," says Philip. "We'll always write songs inspired by that landscape, but we've learned how to tell more personal stories with our music, too. We're talking about our wives, our relationships, and our family trees. We're really wearing our hearts on our sleeves when we're writing."
Listen to 'Heat of July' below
The album Heat of July will be released on September 19 via ATO Records
