The rough and rowdy Texas act strips down some fan favourites

Treaty Oak Revival revisit some of their best-loved tracks on this stripped-down acoustic collection, which pulls material from the Odessa, Texas, act’s first two full-length albums, 2021’s No Vacancy and 2023’s Have a Nice Day and tosses in a cover for good measure. Known for their rough and rowdy approach to country rock, the band still sounds raw and potent with these toned-down arrangements, which offer a little more space for lead vocalist Sam Canty to wrench emotion out of the songs’ often narrative lyrics.

Recorded at the SoundBank Studios in Talco, Texas, The Talco Tapes kicks off with “I’m the Worst”, a fan favourite that, in this incarnation, sounds twangier than its sludgy studio counterpart. “Boomtown” swaps the Tom Petty influence of the original for a more Red Dirt sound, with pristine pedal steel cutting through acoustic guitar. “Ode to Bourbon” dials up the harmonies, and “Fishnets” gets a touch of tenderness that suits the song’s complicated story. The band rounds out the project with a cover of The Goo Goo Dolls’ 1995 smash “Name”, turning in a faithful performance that retains the emotional intensity of the original.