Broken hearts, hard liquor, and the determination to progress populate Efren’s latest release, Write a New Song. Propelled by the fantastic songwriting of Scott Low, Efren have created a record that can feasibly be held up alongside one of Drive-By Trucker’s or Lucero’s high points. Efren share a lot in common with both of those bands and when they’re on the mark (as they are for all of Write a New Song) they’re just as good. There’s some classic soul influence when Efren get really expansive that continuously breathes even more life into this record. Yet, that still doesn’t detract or even overshadow Write s New Song‘s most traditional moments, like the excellent “Old Mountain Road”. Where their strength truly lies, however, is in cranked-up classic crunch mode which is never more forceful than on “The Last 40 Days”. Keep both eyes out for this band, they’re ready to kill.