THE SMITH & WESTERN JURY ANNOUNCE DEBUT ALBUM ‘HOTEL TEXAS’

The alt-country’s much anticipated ten-track record lands June 14.

2024 is shaping up as a big year for Melbourne/Naarm act The Smith & Western Jury. The alt-country rockers have just announced their eagerly anticipated debut album, Hotel Texas, while also releasing catchy new single 'Have Mercy'. 

The band, comprising lead singer Sam Lombardi, guitarist Simon Torcasio, bassist Danny Bonnici and drummer Matt Marasco, have been involved in several musical projects before coming together to form The Smith & Western Jury in 2018. Although most members of the band come from a heavy music background, they all share a love for country, falling in love with the genre after a trip to Nashville. 

While you might be wondering why it’s taken the band six years to release their first album, there’s a good reason, and it’s got nothing to do with a worldwide pandemic. Lombardi was diagnosed with a condition known as vestibular migraines in 2019, which can cause dizziness and vertigo for days at a time. If that wasn’t bad enough, Lombardi then found out she had suffered a stroke without even knowing it and was found to have a rare autoimmune disorder known as Behçet's disease.

"Obviously, I was an anxious mess", says Lombardi in a press release. "But we were persisting with the band all the same. That's the one thing Si and I enjoyed through out all of that shit, and we didn't want to give it up". 

The will to succeed and keep going despite adversity has directly inspired Hotel Texas, with the album dealing with themes of love, loss, grief and heartbreak across its ten tracks. Work on the album initially began at Belgrave's Merrigum Studio with producer/engineer Benjamin Edgar before the band headed to Cherry Ridge Studios in Floresville, Texas under the watchful eye of acclaimed producer Tommy Detamore.

"Every line on this album can be traced to a time, place or event", Torcasio explains. "Sam [Lombardi] has lived this album, and I've been there with her through all of it. I felt a real duty of care as a guitar player on this album – I wanted to give her words a chance to breathe, and give the album a bit of space as well as that extra twang".

The first single from the album, ‘Have Mercy’, reflects on the COVID-19 lockdown where Lombardi was battling health issues while also grieving the loss of someone close. Despite the serious and personal subject matter, 'Have Mercy' is an upbeat country ditty with an infectious groove that's hard not to stomp your foot along with. 

"The monotonous drain of being stuck inside, day after day, had me feeling like I was going crazy”, Lombardi reflects when discussing the song. "The constant repetition, combined with my anxiety, was agonising. In the middle of the night is when my anxiety is always at its worst; when I sing 'the devil knows where I sleep', the devil I'm referring to is my own mind. It’s our western take on my nocturnal sufferings".

Hotel Texas is out on June 14. You can pre-save/pre-order the album here. ‘Have Mercy’ is out now on all streaming platforms here.