Austin’s outlaw country heroes Crooks have big things on the horizon. The “must-see Austin band” (MTV Hive) will release their new full-length album ‘The Rain Will Come’ this April, featuring guest appearances from accordion legend Flaco Jimenez of the Texas Tornadoes, and produced by Danny Reisch (White Denim, Okkervil River, Shearwater, Bright Light Social Hour), who was named “Producer of the Year” at the 2011 Austin Music Awards.

Crooks are breathing new life into country music by playing it their way - “stripped of its crossover pop sheen and returned to its hard-drinkin’, rough-and-tumble roots” (The Onion AV Club). The Austin American-Statesman says their sound “exemplifies the genre at its hard-drinking, windswept best. It’s country from the Hank Williams Sr. school — damaged, dusty and bleary-eyed.”

Crooks are frontman Josh Mazour, drummer Rob Bacak, stand-up bassist Andrew VanVoorhees, and multi-instrumentalist Sam Alberts, who alternates between guitar, banjo, mandolin, and trumpet. They were highlighted in this year’s Austin Chronicle Critics Poll as a “Best New Local Act,” and were heralded by KUT’s David Brown as his pick for “Austin artist most likely to score big in 2012.”

Or as My Old Kentucky Blog put it, “these boys might want to look into losing their day jobs.” Here’s hopin’.