Drive-By Truckers are set to return with their first album in more than three years. Dubbed The Unraveling, it’s due out January 31st through ATO Records. The alt-country rockers plan to support the LP with an extensive 2020 tour.
For the Georgia outfit, the upcoming effort serves as their 12th (!) overall following the warmly received American Band from 2016. It was recorded at the famed Sam Phillips Recording Service in Memphis by Grammy-winning engineer Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price) alongside longtime producer David Barbe.
The Unraveling refers to the US collapse at the hands of the Trump Administration. The titles of the LP’s nine tracks, such as “Thoughts and Prayers”, “Babies in Cages”, and “Awaiting Resurrection”, further drive this theme home.
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“The past three-and-a-half years were among the most tumultuous our country has ever seen,” co-founding member Patterson Hood remarked in a statement, “and the duality between the generally positive state of affairs within our band while watching so many things we care about being decimated and destroyed all around us informed the writing of this album to the core.” He continued,
“While a quick glance might imply that we’re picking up where 2016’s AMERICAN BAND album left off, the differences are as telling as the similarities. If the last one was a warning shot hinting at a coming storm, this one was written in the wreckage and aftermath. I’ve always said that all of our records are political but I’ve also said that ‘politics is personal’. With that in mind, this album is especially personal.”
Assisting Drive-By Truckers on the record are guests like The Shins’ Patti King, violinist/string arranger Kyleen King (Brandi Carlile), and North Mississippi All-Stars’ Cody Dickinson.
As a first look at the full-length, Drive-By Truckers are sharing lead single “Armageddon’s Back in Town”. Check it out below via its lyric video.
The Unraveling is available for pre-order now. As for the band’s lengthy 2020 live itinerary, it includes a springtime tour through North America followed by a stint over in Europe. Tickets go on sale November 21st at 10 a.m. local time and can be purchased here.
The Unraveling Artwork:
The Unraveling Tracklist:
01. Rosemary with a Bible and a Gun
02. Armageddon’s Back in Town
03. Slow Ride Argument
04. Thoughts and Prayers
05. 21st Century USA
06. Heroin Again
07. Babies in Cages
08. Grievance Merchants
09. Awaiting Resurrection
Drive-By Truckers 2020 Tour Dates:
01/16 – Boulder, CO @ Fox Theater
01/17 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
01/18 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
02/13 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
02/14 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
02/15 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
02/18 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
02/19 – Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theater
02/21 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
02/22 – Boston, MA @ Somerville Theatre
02/23 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre
02/25 – New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall
02/27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
02/28 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
02/29 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
03/12 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
03/13 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
03/14 – St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
03/17 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
03/18 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
03/20 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
03/21 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
03/22 – Arcata, CA @ Van Duzer Theatre
03/24 – Petaluma, CA @ Mystic Theatre
03/26 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
03/27 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater
03/28 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
03/31 – Albuquerque, NM @ El Rey Theater
04/02 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
04/03 – Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn
04/04 – Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn
04/16 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
04/17 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
04/18 – Charleston, NC @ High Water Festival
04/21 – Winston-Salem, NC @ The Ramkat
04/23 – Lexington, KY @ Manchester Music Hall
04/24 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
04/25 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
04/27 – Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall
04/28 – Orlando, FL @ The Plaza Live
04/29 – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL @ Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
05/01 – Birmingham, AL @ Iron City
05/02 – Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Festival
06/01 – Raalte, NL @ Ribs and Blues
06/03 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street
06/05 – Leeds, UK @ Irish Centre
06/06 – London, UK @ O2 Forum
06/07 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
06/08 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma
06/09 – Cologne, DE @ Kantine
06/11 – Berlin, DE @ Kesselhaus
06/12 – Copenhagen, DK @ Amager Bio
06/13 – Stockholm, SE @ Sthlm Americana
06/14 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller
06/15 – Arhaus, DK @ Train
