Montana native and singer/songwriter Izaak Opatz’s (former frontman to the indie country rock band The Best Westerns) new solo album Mariachi Static is an enjoyable collection of lovelorn Americana songs brought to life through clever, lighthearted storytelling. A few of the songs collected on Mariachi Static are several years old and will be familiar to anyone who’s been to a Best Westerns show, while others were written while camping in the Mojave Desert. Mariachi Static was produced by Malachi DeLorenzo (Langhorne Slim’s drummer) who Opatz met in L.A. when working with Jonny Fritz on a leatherworking project, Dad Country Leather. The album was recorded on a four-track with Opatz on rhythm guitar and some lead guitar, Wurlitzer, keyboard, and vocals, and DeLorenzo on drums, bass, percussion and background vocals/harmonies. The album’s title came from a recording session in which a guitar pedal picked-up a Spanish radio station. Standout tracks include: the soulful Wurlitzer tinged “Got to Me Since”; the bittersweet ode “Arm’s Length Away”; the sardonic “Not Yet”; the country shuffle of “Pilot Light”; the beautiful heartbreakers “Limited Liability” and “Madrona”; and the gorgeous closer, “Matilda.” This album is a great listen from an up-and-coming new talent and I’m already looking forward to his next release! – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | Jonny Fritz, Glorietta, Hollis Brown, The Texas Gentlemen