The New Wildcatters released their debut song, Long Lost Son, which is now available on all streaming platforms. Long Lost Son is produced by Gordy Quist of the Band of Heathens at the Finishing School in Austin, Texas and written by New Wildcatters lead singer, Jeff Whitehead, and Quist. Fans of the Band of Heathens may note that the song was previously featured on the Band of Heathens latest 2023 release, Simple Things. Go give it a listen!
DEBUT ALBUM - JUNEBUG PARADE
The New Wildcatters will release their debut album, Junebug Parade, in the spring of 2025. The album was produced by Gordy Quist of the Band of Heathens at the Finishing School in Austin, Texas. New Wildcatters lead singer, Jeff Whitehead, and Quist initially met for a writing session and soon discovered they had grown up within an hour of each other- Whitehead from College Station, Quist from north Houston. Immediately, this sense of place started to seep into their songwriting- from the bottomland of the Brazos River, to the East Texas pines, and down the streets of Houston. For each, these songs were a return to their roots. Says Whitehead, “they say, write what you know, so we wrote about humidity.”
With a batch of songs in hand, the two started working in the Austin recording studio, the Finishing School, with Quist taking the helm as producer. Though coming from different backgrounds musically, Whitehead’s upbringing steeped in country and gospel music, Quist getting his footing with rock’n’roll, they both found commonality in their love for roots music. It all comes from the same place. What came from this combination is unmistakably southern with a strong tip of the hat to Texas roots.
From the opening lines of Long Lost Son, also featured on the Band of Heathens most recent release Simple Things (2023), “Forgive me, I lost my way, I wandered far and wide, I come back to the post oak trees and tangled mustang vines”- it’s clear this is a coming home moment. Winding through the foot stomping choruses of Heaven Help Me to the down-home front porch groove of the title track, Junebug Parade, the album holds the listeners attention from start to finish. Sex, death, and true love- it’s all there.
Junebug Parade is available upon request for pre-release listening.