Home Is West - Mexico

Home Is West

Mexico
self-released; 2024
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​​​By ​Dino DiMuro

San Clemente may not be on the radar for most of our readers, but I know it as a beautiful stretch of coastal California which Richard Nixon called his retirement home. About a zillion years later it served as the 2013 birthplace of Home Is West (see what they did there?), described as “a heartfelt three-piece indie-alt rock band with a big sound.” After starting out playing local shows and enjoying avid airplay, they’ve opened for acts like Fastball, Sponge and Gene Loves Jezebel at iconic LA music venues like Molly Malone’s, The Mint, The House of Blues and The Whiskey. In 2018 they signed a deal with Mint 400 Records, and have several tracks and videos on the ReverbNation website. Today we look at three of their latest tracks. 

“Sooner or Later” opens up with a single, very loud electric guitar playing full, slashing chords, quickly backed up by a bass player with a thick, tubular sound. This band is a trio for live gigs, but this song features multiple vocal overdubs and even some keyboard backing. It’s a fairly simple but straight-ahead rock tune without excess fuzz or histrionics to distract from its power. The chorus adds a bit of jangle to the expansive harmonies, followed by a tasteful, weeping guitar solo. 

“8 Seconds” begins by featuring the drum kit prominently in the mix, to the point where you can almost see the toms laid out and the kick pedal working away. I was excited as this song progressed, as the driving chords and sardonic vocals are clearly influenced by my fave raves The Strokes, especially as the boys accelerate in the choruses. This song’s just under three minutes and ends quickly, but I loved getting there.

“Mexico” not surprisingly has a bit of Tex-Mex flavor in the muted opening chords and the one-two beat as the song proper kicks in. All the vocal lines feature harmonies that interplay beautifully with the chiming, happy chord sequence. That Bob Dylan-like organ also sneaks in for another appearance. Of the three tracks, this one feels the most Hit-worthy, though going by this song alone might have you mistake these guys for Cowpunkers. As the track winds down, a single guitar line chimes the base note of each chord. It works!

On the evidence of these three tracks, this is a band fully deserving of their recording contract and packed live shows. See for yourself!

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