Cowboys & Indians has the exclusive drop of the Texas band’s latest track.
The genius of Midland has always been its ability to crank out fresh country classics that instantly feel as familiar as your favorite pair of jeans. With its new release, the Grammy-nominated trio formed in Dripping Springs, Texas, continues spinning its resonant magic, this time making the song and video’s exclusive debut available to Cowboys & Indians. “Vaquero” is a waltz-time ode to an aging cowboy that doesn’t so much sparkle as it flickers through a dusty film of crusty nostalgia, stubborn pride, and muscle ache.
“Where oh, where oh, will you go, Vaquero, now that your Cuervo’s run dry … there ain’t no cattle to drive,” sings Mark Wystrach with the road-weary crackle that’s been packing venues since the band’s debut album, On the Rocks, in 2017.
In cowboy-roustabout-turned-actor Ty Mitchell (True Grit, Killers of the Flower Moon), the band has found the perfect weather-beaten avatar for its “Vaquero” hero. Throughout the video, the 60-going-on-80 roughneck drives, rides, smokes, drinks, sweats, wanders, mends fences, and contemplates life, chewing up as much of the sweeping Southwestern scenery as director Manuel Mancilla can pack into this heartfelt end-of-the-line saga.
“Our vision for the ‘Vaquero’ video was for it to feel like a portrait of a cowboy who has given his life to the land,” says Wystrach. “Ty Mitchell embodied that character so perfectly. He’s proud, he’s tough, he doesn’t say too much, but there’s a whole lifetime behind his eyes.”
“Ty was the perfect person to carry this story because he brings such an authentic stillness to it. He didn’t have to overplay anything,” says guitarist and vocalist Jess Carson.
“Sonically, ‘Vaquero’ feels like an old photograph coming to life, so we wanted the visual to have that same emotional impact,” says bassist and vocalist Cameron Duddy. “There’s beauty in it, but there’s also loneliness and grit.”
Midland are masters of postmodern country traditionalism. Unlike the character at the center of “Vaquero,” however, their latest release proves they’ve got a lot more miles to ride before hanging up their spurs.
PHOTOGRAPHY (All images): Credit Harper Smith.
