Twenty years after they started, The Band of Heathens clearly realize there is little upside to fucking with what works. They have stripped down their sound to the acoustic basics at times and brought in Hayes Carll in 2024 for a fantastic duo record, Hayes & The Heathens, but for the most part they have stuck with a reliable formula: their laid-back, authentically original devotion to rock, folk, soul, and country that has taken them from the clubs and bars of Austin to venues, festivals, and broadcasts across the globe, including Germany’s famed Rockpalast and Austin City Limits.
Recorded in just over a week at their own studio, Country Sides channels the energy and spontaneity of the band’s early years, now sharpened by deeper musicianship and more nuanced songwriting. The record’s lead single, the breezy “High On Our Own Supply,” serves as a perfect synopsis of the band’s career to date — essentially taking their own road and being cool with the results. From the skilled, laid-back instrumentation to the beautiful harmonies backing up Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist, the song serves as an ideal catch-up for those unfamiliar with the band and works perfectly as a prelude to the rest of the record. “Lead Don’t Follow” deftly shows off the band’s more soulful side.
“Forever’s Not a Long Time” has an undeniably sweet message, but the execution is not terribly memorable, especially when followed by the far more compelling “Finish Something I Started,” complete with falsetto harmonies and a tempo that keeps you guessing from moment to moment. Elsewhere, the almost hymnal “Good As I Can Be” is an emotionally strong track about doing the best you can, showcasing the band’s ability to take a seemingly simple concept and write about it almost like poetry. “Take The Cake,” another early single, finds the band digging into their funk influences, with an electric piano that sounds like Leon Russell is backing them.
The self-produced Country Sides was not only recorded in the band’s own studio but, like almost all their other records, was released on their own BOH Records. The Band Of Heathens has never bothered to trim their DIY roots or abandon their go-it-themselves philosophy and, as a result, remains an uncompromisingly brilliant band. Their latest record is further proof that the model still works. Across nearly a dozen tracks, spanning several genres, The Band Of Heathens have once again managed to capture the easy chemistry and stubborn independence that have defined their career, delivering a record that feels both comfortably familiar and effortlessly assured. Country Sides reminds you why they’ve been one of the most consistently satisfying acts in American roots music for the past two decades.
