The Rootworkers | From delta blues roots to contemporary twists: the new album from the Italian band boldly defies clichés and rigidity

The Rootworkers return with Don’t Beat a Dead Horse, their first full-length album, out on 17 October 2025 via Bloos Records (LP and digital format). Following the single Devil on My Bed, the album marks a decisive step in the evolution of the Italian band's sound, pushing blues rock towards a more personal, stripped-down, and contemporary form.

Don’t Beat a Dead Horse represents a shift in The Rootworkers’ songwriting approach. With roots firmly planted in delta blues, over the years they’ve enriched their sound with soul, garage rock, psychedelia and thoughtful songwriting, forging a distinct and recognisable identity. Now, with the production skills of Frankie Wah (Little Pieces of Marmelade), their structures become tighter and more immediate, the arrangements minimal yet refined, with a focus on tone and timbre that looks to the present without losing the primal tension of the blues.

This is an album that delves deeply into song form, eschewing formulaic structures to create space for streamlined instrumental parts and unconventional, modern sonic approaches. The result is a blend of elegant ballads and raw, deliberately "improper" tracks that pull no punches.

The album’s title – an American idiom that suggests not wasting energy on lost causes – is turned on its head: instead of giving up, The Rootworkers tackle a classic genre with a critical eye and boldness, challenging its clichés and limitations. The cover artwork, depicting a horse struggling against a lasso, visually captures this spirit: an image of resistance and vitality.

Highly recommended for fans of Jack White, Black Keys, All Them Witches, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and Led Zeppelin. The album will be premiered live at the release party on Friday, 31 October 2025, at the prestigious Germi venue in Milan, where The Rootworkers will celebrate the release of Don’t Beat a Dead Horse together with their audience.

DEVIL ON MY BED VIDEO

TRACK-BY-TRACK IN THE WORDS OF THE ROOTWORKERS

1. Love Don’t Pay the Rent A celebration of love told through tremolo guitars, warm basslines and a raw, heartfelt voice. Moving house becomes a metaphor for growth, discovery and authentic connections.

2. Unstoppable Pleasure A tribute to fellow travellers and the deep bond shared with those who walk the blues path. A rough-edged yet dreamy homage to a timeless space beyond endings.

3. Catfish Blues The only cover on the album (Robert Petway) and a staple of our live set, reinterpreted with our twist. Call-and-response guitars and a driving rhythm section create a sonic build-up that captures the intensity of our shows.

4. Desert The album’s most tormented track, suspended between anguished vocals, spacey Rhodes and warm bass. A surreal, dreamlike journey through existential reflections, dissolving into dub delays.

5. It’s Gone (And It’s Alright) A song of personal redemption, transforming an ending into a new beginning, balancing anxiety and liberation. The tension melts into a bold psych-reggae bridge that closes the loop with lightness.

6. Proud of My Life (Don’t Ask Me Why) A statement of identity, proud and self-aware despite life’s challenges and uncertainties. This is our way of being in the world, and it’s ours to own.

7. Not My Cup of Tea The most electric track of the bunch, driven by a pulsing energy and culminating in an explosive boogie section. A pounding drum hammers out an obsessive “no” to reality and a destiny we refuse to accept.

8. Devil on My Bed We faced the spirits of Mississippi blues as they crept beneath the sheets, channelling them into a whirlwind of fuzz, slide, hypnosis and psychedelia. An exorcism between dream and devotion.

9. Dead Flower Blues (Alt. Take) An alternative version of our previous single, opening new paths into darker, more occult shades of Black music. A journey evoking the root-working tradition, black magic and initiatory rituals.