Refinery life is serious business. It’s hot, it’s sticky, it smells bad, and at the end of the day, you’re exhausted. In other words, it’s the perfect subject for country music. That’s something that the Austin-based duo Mayeux & Broussard—whose roots go back to Port Arthur and Leander—recognize in “Back At Home,” which premieres below exclusively at Texas Monthly.
The song comes from the duo’s forthcoming album, High Times & Good Rhymes, which is out February 24. Vocalist and lead guitarist Brian Broussard says that he wrote the song after a weekend trip back to Port Arthur, where he saw people in his life who sweat out the days in the refineries. “I have family and friends who work there ten to twelve hours a day, six or seven days a week,” he says. “I’m very familiar with the lifestyle. That’s how it is for everyone there—it’s such an important part of the economy. At times, I feel like I took the easy way out by turning my back on the refinery plants and pursuing music—it’s rough living and a lot of hard labor. It’s really admirable.”
“Back At Home” sounds like an anthem for rough living, with swampy guitars, bluesy harmonica, and a bassline that won’t quit. Listen below:
Photo Credit: Taylor Englert
