Drive-By Truckers Unveil ‘The Unraveling’ Album Release Plans

The Drive-By Truckers will kick off an election year with a new album. The lauded band's latest project, The Unraveling, is due out on Jan. 31, the band announced on Wednesday (Nov. 20).

The Unraveling, the Drive-By Truckers' 12th studio album, comes after a three-year break between records -- the band's longest stretch without a new project yet. Band co-founders Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley spent that time since the release of 2016's American Band dealing with writer's block, brought on largely by the current state of society and politics in America.

“How do you put these day to day things we’re all living through into the form of a song that we (much less anybody else) would ever want to listen to? How do you write about the daily absurdities when you can’t even wrap your head around them in the first place?" Hood reflects in a press release. I think our response was to focus at the core emotional level. More heart and less cerebral, perhaps.”

Fans can get a taste of the results in "Armageddon's Back in Town," a rocker of a track that's situated second on The Unraveling. “The past three and a half years were among the most tumultuous our country has ever seen, 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," explains Hood.

The Truckers worked with engineer Matt Ross-Spang and, once again, producer David Barbe on The Unraveling, which will be released via ATO Records. Special guests on the record include North Mississippi All-Stars member Cody Dickinson, the Shins' Patti King and violinist and arranger Kyleen King.

“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," Hood continues. "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.”

The Unraveling is available for pre-order now, in both physical and digital form. The Drive-By Truckers will support the project with a tour as well.

Drive-By Truckers, The Unraveling Track Listing:

1. "Rosemary With a Bible and a Gun"
2. "Armageddon’s Back in Town"
3. "Slow Ride Argument"
4. "Thoughts and Prayers"
5. "21st Century USA"
6. "Heroin Again"
7. "Babies in Cages"
8. "Grievance Merchants"
9. "Awaiting Resurrection"

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