Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Everything is, as the native’s will always espouse, ‘bigger’ in Texas, and in time honoured fashion that statement is given its test and found to be, with respect, almost true. From the wide-open skies to the sense of freedom that the state demands, part of the United States of America but seeing itself as its own functioning country, the sense of life size is everywhere, and even in the humble there is a drive that confounds the onlooker, but which makes absolute sense to those who understand the heritage and the legacy of those who call the state, home.

For the all-female Mexican-American band The Mexican Standoff, the release of their debut album, Hola Texas! is one that typifies the culture and the physical spirit of the state. The album is not only the spirit, it is the attitude, the drama, the sense of boldness and the stance of the group as they dare to be more than another female band gazed upon, they are the insistence and the perspective of the raw and the talented given life and depth.

Recorded by Fernanda Ulibarri, Max Bacca, and Joe Treviño in San Antonio, the authenticity of the album stands in its delivery of the songs and raucous occasions made intense and cool, an almost Punk outlook, that challenge the original narrative.

The Texan border music seamlessly amalgamates the sound of the past with the fury of a future that many have attempted to deny, an expression of anger and emotion that deserves the exploration, and from the outstanding delivery of the opening tracks, Pantalon Blue Jean, itself a reinterpretation of a 1950s classic and Amor Bonito, the six song strong album is genuinely wholehearted, but frantic in its outlook.

With In Heaven There Is No Beer, Perlita, Tu Diras, and Sola all adding to the overall effect of The Mexican Standoff, the electrifying nature of the live sound is transferred to this debut recording with a profound sense of urgency and commitment. The force of the female voice is outstanding, the historical groove is magnified, and Hola Texas! takes on the task of uniting and bonding the Mexican-American experience in such a way that is welcome and a blessing.

An album which is culturally blooming, and one that understands the way that the past can be brought up to date with ingenuity and a different perspective. This is a band to really say hello to.

Ian D. Hall