“This next song’s a special dedication to all of the beach people.” And with that, Mapache — the band led by Los Angeles duo Sam Blasucci and Clay Finch — launch into “They Don’t Know At The Beach,” the latest single from their new album Roscoe’s Dream, out June 10 on Innovative Leisure / Calico Discos. It’s a stoned and conspiratorial love song that unfolds with the sunburnt beauty of a Beach Boys ballad as it weaves a romantic tale of two lovers on the run from the FBI, perfect for soundtracking the most tender moments of a Pynchon novel or a lazy afternoon spent by a pool positing your latest theories on extraterrestrials.
Watch the video for “They Don’t Know At The Beach” here: https://youtu.be/5Nb5vM6ai8I
Guided by the benevolent spirit of the duo’s 14-year-old Boston Terrier Roscoe — the album’s namesake and cover star — Roscoe’s Dream finds Mapache continuing to hone their alchemical, distinctly Angeleno sound: Hungover hippy blues, shaggy dog folk rock narratives, lovingly recreated Mexican boleros, and Everlys-descended campfire harmonies coalesce on a project that portrays a profound comfort in jumping from style-to-style. Produced by longtime collaborator Dan Horne (Cass McCombs, Allah-Lahs) at his Lone Palm Studio, Roscoe’s Dream is a quietly confident, casually masterful distillation of the dreamy Mapache sound.
Lead single “I Love My Dog” pays specific homage to Roscoe. Listen here.
Roscoe’s Dream follow’s last year’s 3, a lovingly crafted collection of covers that includes acknowledged classics — including a sun-dappled and swaying take on Stevie Wonder’s “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” and a romantically unhurried version of Sade’s “All About Our Love” — as well as inventive spins on songs by Allah-Las and Aussie psych-rockers Babe Rainbow.
Mapache’s 2020 album From Liberty Street was described by Aquarium Drunkard as “a warm, pacific-breezed collection of country rock, western twang, Mexican boleros, and a touch of that Gram Parsons cosmic Americana fairy dust.” The group’s self-titled debut was cut live and raw around a single microphone and helped Mapache earn festival appearances at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and Pickathon, where Rolling Stone named their set one of the weekend's top highlights.
Mapache tour dates can be found here, more to be announced soon: https://www.mapachesounds.com/tour
