Some bands blast out of the gate and never recapture their early energy. Other bands establish themselves as models of consistency. Still other bands take a while to find themselves. And then there are bands like the Old 97s, who blast out of the gate, establish themselves as models of consistency, take a while to find themselves, and then, fifteen years in, deliver a glorious record that sums up everything about them that fans have always loved. The Old 97s formed in Dallas in 1993, and are often considered one of the pioneers of the Alt Country genre, although their influences are as varied as The Kinks, The Beatles, The Pixies, David Bowie, Johnny Cash (hence the name) and Merle Haggard. Their career got off to a fast start in 1994 with their debut release, Hitchhike To Rhome.

Now with Blame It On Gravity, the seventh Old 97’s record and the second for New West, the band has made its definitive statement. “It’s really exciting,” says Rhett Miller, the band’s lead singer and songwriter. “I read an interview with Randy Newman where he said that if your work is as good at 50 as it was at 20, you’ve won the battle. We’re nowhere near fifty, but I feel like this collection of songs is the best we’ve ever done. And I LOVED our earlier albums.”