Calexico El Mirador (Black Vinyl)

After excursions with Iron and Wine and their Christmas record (2020), Calexico return with their first proper album since 'THE THREAD THAT KEEPS US"'(2018). 'El Mirador' moves between haunting desert noir and upbeat jolts of cumbia and Cuban son, and is steeped inLonging. 'El Mirador' was recorded in the summer of 2021 at longtime band member Sergio Mendoza's home studio inTucson, Arizona, and is one of the most compelling and whimsical productions they have made to date. Convertino, who now lives in El Paso, and Burns, who relocated to Boise in 2020, have turned their memories of theSouthwest's landscapes and the cheerful melting pots of the barrios into an evocative love letter to the frontier desert region that has nourished them for more than 20 years. Burns and Convertino have been performing together for more than 30 years, sharing a deep love of jazz and usually building their songs on a foundation of bass and drums. But after all these years, Calexico is still breaking new ground. Co-written and recorded with Sergio Mendoza (keys, accordion, percussion), the album expands on the longstanding influences of cumbia, mariachi and the plethora of diaspora sounds that flourish throughout the Southwest.'El Mirador' is both a vantage point and a beacon in the darkness; an opportunity to look inward, reflect on our connections to the earth and its inhabitants, and hopefully find a way forward. After decades on the road, Calexico's music remains boundless and romantic, still searching for the next adventure on the horizon.

The band will also tour Europe this spring for the first time since 2018, playing headline shows in the UK, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany/Austria/Switzerland and Italy