Briscoe

If Briscoe's debut album was a coming-of-age soundtrack set against the backdrop of the Texas Hill Country, then its follow-up, Heat of July, is the sound of a fully-formed duo chasing down a broader horizon.

Inspired by the cross-country tours that took the band across America, these new songs expand Briscoe's folk-rock sound in all directions. There are bigger arrangements, sharper harmonies, and enough top-tier guest musicians to form their own supergroup. The result is a cinematic, widescreen version of American roots music, created by two lifelong friends who've learned to distill the thrill of the open road — and the challenges of growing up — into an ever-evolving soundtrack.

Hot asphalt. Spinning wheels. Mile markers. For Philip Lupton and Truett Heintzelman, those hallmarks of the American highway system have become the only constants in a period filled with change. Signed by ATO Records while still pursuing undergraduate degrees at UT Austin, the two Texas natives recorded Briscoe's debut album, West Of It All, during their final months as college students. Once graduation arrived, they left town and hit the road, spending a dizzying year crisscrossing the country — particularly the southwest — in a van packed with gear and bandmates. Seated up front, Philip and Truett found themselves in awe of the canyons, mountains, and mesas that unfolded just outside the windshield. New songs began to arrive during those long drives across the desert, dreamt into existence at 80 miles per hour, as eclectic and evocative as the landscape that inspired them.