ROLLING STONE – After spending a decade building both a catalog and a fanbase in Texas honky-tonks and dive bars, Flatland Cavalry have an unshakeable foothold in country music. The band’s frontman, Cleto Cordero, calls back to the components of a Texas friend’s two-part test for determining a cowboy’s credentials: 1. Did you work your fucking ass off? 2. Are you the most authentic version of yourself you can be?

“Playing shows with Flatland feels like that,” Cordero tells Rolling Stone. “Riding something wild, and you’re gonna get to the end of it eventually. If we get off the deck knowing that we’ve been walking the tightrope and going for it, loving our audience, bringing people together, and having fun, that’s when we got it.”