Begin your musical week with the haunting ‘Black Hats’ from Atlanta gothic americana band Del Roscoe. Dark and haunting, the song is layered with atmospheric textures provided by Tim Lee’s mandolin, Steve Thomas’s lap steel and Debra Tala’s accordion. Moody rhythms come from Paul Abrelat on bass and Matt McKenny’s drums, while Yanaëlle Cornez’s electric guitar and Robert Lee’s vocal swirl over it all. Most absorbing here, though, are the lyrical narrative and the wonderfully realised, cinematic video.
The video is a visual feast that was meticulously put together by the band: every mask, weapon, scene and each page in the book were handcrafted in a labour of imagination and art. It follows the story of villagers who guard an ancient book, passed down through the generations, that warns of people who promise safety but, in reality, bring only fear. The villagers give chase with makeshift weapons when the man in the black hat steals the book. It finishes with the symbolic burning of the black hat, reflecting the song’s core message: some hats must burn.
Frontman Lee explains: “‘Black Hats’ is a song about those who spread lies and fear to gain control. The figure represents the worst of humanity – judge, jury, and executioner. It’s both a condemnation and a warning, a reminder that greed and manipulation thrive on submission, and that the world is full of black hats. Beware.”
This video follows Del Roscoe’s acclaimed self-titled debut album – a distinctive, cinematic, shadowy collection that was created in the midst of the band members’ personal resilience and loss. Founding band member and bass guitar player Paul Abrelat was diagnosed with terminal cancer shortly after recording began on the record. Through great determination, all his parts were recorded before his passing, and the finished album is dedicated to his memory. Del Roscoe is definitely a band for you to discover if you haven’t already – imaginative, immersive, absorbing stuff. Lose yourself in the dark narrative of ‘Black Hats’ while contemplating the fact that those who would manipulate and lie to gain control are an everyday political reality. Time to start burning some hats.
