Houston native Triston Marez makes forthright country music that nods not only to his Texas roots, but also to his adopted hometown of Nashville. It’s a modern sound steeped in the golden age of ’90s country, a decade whose southern storytelling and larger-than-life hooks left a permanent part on the young songwriter.

That sound is whittled to a razor-edged point with 2021’s self titled LP Triston Marez. Produced by David Dorn and Alex Torrez, the album strikes a balance between youthful enthusiasm and focused maturity. Marez co-wrote nine of the album’s twelve tracks, with modern-day legends like Chris Stapleton penning the remaining songs. Another legend — ’90s country kingpin Ronnie Dunn — appears on “Where the Neon Lies,” turning the song not only into a show-stopping duet, but also a nod to the next generation of melodic, story-driven country stars. Triston Marez may be making contemporary music, but he’s doing so with the influence — and the support — of the icons who came before him, singing songs like “Day Drinking” and the Tejano-influenced “Texas Swing” cowritten with Americana Critics Favorite Gabe Lee (featuring the Tex-Mex band Squeezebox Bandits) with an ease that belies his young years. Laced with Telecaster twang, swooning pedal steel, dancehall ballads, and honky-tonk anthems, Triston Marez is a battle cry from an artist who bridges the gap between modern country and the genre’s old-school classics.