Hello reader,
How are you?
Today, we’re going to talk about the band Briscoe. The Texas based duo comprised of extremely talented singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalists Philip Lupton and Truett Heintzelman were catapulted into our world with their excellent November 2023 debut album, West of It All which I reviewed first then Josh listened and also loved the album. So much so that it made both of our best of 2023 new music lists. About a month after the album release, we published an excellent interview with the band. Check that out and come back here. It’s a shock to no one that SWT has been an advocate for Briscoe.
And less than two years later, after Lupton and Heintzelman have garnered some acclaim, made new fans via touring the country and each marrying their long term partners, Briscoe has released their second album, titled Heat Of July which is out via the fabulous ATO Records on Friday, September 19th for your listening pleasure.
From the album’s press release, Philip Lupton said, “We learned how to write music from behind the wheel. 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.”
Truett Heintzelman adds, “There are so many beautiful parts of America, but the southwest is something we really gravitate toward. There’s something about that area that makes us want to write songs. During the past year, though, it became the new norm to write songs on the go, drawing inspiration from wherever we were.”
Of the titular song, Lupton stated in a press release, “Raised in the heat of West Texas, the song ‘Heat of July’ feels like a personal theme song. 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.” And through two full length albums and an EP, Briscoe has proven they are outstanding at capturing those at times relatable memories and human experiences into beautiful songs.
Giving credit where it’s due, additional Heat Of July album credits:
- drummer Matthew McCaughan (Bon Iver)
- fiddle player Libby Rodenbough (Mipso)
- mandolinist Andrew Marlin (Watchhouse, formerly known as Mandolin Orange)
- multi-instrumentalist Phil Cook (Hiss Golden Messenger)
- electric guitarist Matt Myers (Houndmouth)
- produced by Brad Cook
From the album’s press release, Truett Heintzelman said the following about working again with GRAMMY-nominated producer Brad Cook, “It felt like home to be back in the studio with Brad. He already understood our dynamic, so he felt comfortable pushing us as songwriters and lyricists. He helped us grow. And whenever we’d say, ‘It would be real nice to have a flatpicking guitar here’ or ‘Maybe this song needs a fiddle,’ Brad would say, ‘What about so-and-so from this band?’ He’d reach out to them, and before we knew it, we had this crazy roster of artists playing with us. It was like a big folk supergroup.”
And now for some hype for your eyes and ears via Briscoe’s YouTube channel:
The song is a homage to Truett’s great grandfather. The video for the song “Roughnecks”:
(All credits and rights to Briscoe)
The titular song with a video full of summer time activities, here’s “Heat Of July”:
(All credits and rights to Briscoe)
The official audio (no separate video) for the fantastic song “Leaving California”:
(All credits and rights to Briscoe)
Overall Heat Of July showcases Briscoe with a bigger sound; anthemic at times, and the album also highlights the duo’s growth as songwriters. They’ve built upon their debut which was their intro telling us about their West Texas roots and takes on us an adventure. Within Heat Of July, Briscoe sounds more confident in their voices and the songwriters tackle more personal themes like relationships, travel and adventure, family and more. This new album perfectly encapsulates the settings and mindset of the time at which the songs were written. The band was on the road at the time and thinking about wedding preparation to your long-term partners and then they penned a gorgeous love song in “Saving Grace” and also within “Blue Eyes and Red Wine”. That is easier said than done, just ask many other bands that didn’t succeed. Briscoe does.
They were on the road, thinking about places they were or had been and penned a handful of gems. Songs like, “Arizona Shining”, “Escudilla”, “Leaving California”, and “Mexican Eagles” make for some unforgettable songs. While “Flashlights in the Canyon” tackles the living on the US-Mexico border with incredible humanity due to its songwriting.
They were on the road, thinking about family and then penned a lovely homage to Truett’s great grandfather in the song “Roughnecks” a term associated with hard labor but most commonly to those working on drilling rigs. Kudos to those workers.
What you’ve come to expect from Briscoe as a listener is intertwined vocals, excellent songwriting and song compositions, songs about places and moments in time and Heat Of July delivers that. Check out the song titles and you’ll see a handful of specific places listed. Don’t gloss over the titles, listen and you’ll hear some gorgeous songs that are show deep love for those settings. The compositions on this album are bolder, louder, and more anthemic sounding than the band’s debut. Philip Lupton and Truett Heintzelman use more instrumentation and variation compared to their debut album and I think this works. What’d you think, listener? The duo often uses acoustic guitar paired with banjo and it sounds fantastic. So do the times that the piano anchors the melody such as in “Mexican Eagles” as one example. Or the times that electric guitar is involved to add depth and wonderful notes to other songs on this album. I enjoyed the bluegrass instrumentation on “Roughnecks” and acoustic guitar on several other songs on the album. Kudos to those musicians who accompanied Briscoe on this one, they made Heat Of July even better. As did Brad Cook returning to produce. For some listeners and strict categorizers the variation in sound makes the band hard to define by genre, but I am not complaining nor should you. The resulting compositions make the band amazing to the ears and even more profound and earworm and dance party worth in a live setting.
Heat Of July gets 4.5 out of 5 Scum Drops from me. I think it’s an improvement on their debut. I placed the debut in the 89th percentile, and this album for me, falls within the 90th or 91st percentile relative to all releases in 2025. There’s truly a lot to like especially the duo’s advancement in songwriting and song compositions. Some albums front-load the best songs, this album is well balanced and may surprise some with how strong the ending songs are. Add Heat Of July to your collection on the formats of your choosing. Get the vinyl!
I’ll always advocate that you take the time to listen to every album in its entirety. The listening process with Heat Of July will take nearly 40 minutes from start to finish. Along the way, you’ll discover your own favorite songs without the influence or bias of others. After a few listens on my own, I found the songs in bold font below to be my favorite songs on this album.
The Heat Of July Track listing (song length)
- Saving Grace (3:40)
- Arizona Shining (3:44)
- Roughnecks (4:07)
- Heat Of July (3:09)
- Escudilla (3:37)
- Adeline (3:16)
- Blue Eyes and Red Wine (3:10)
- Leaving California (3:14)
- Flashlights in the Canyon (3:41)
- Free (3:05)
- Mexican Eagles (2:44)
- Is This Where (2:32)
Total runtime: 39:59
For tour info, merch and more check out the bands’ site, to hear more music, check out their YouTube channel, their Spotify, their Apple Music page. To follow their socials, check out their Instagram, and Facebook.
Thank you for reading and supporting good music.
Until next time,
Alex
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site: scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions!
Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
