Drive-By Truckers have released a new song in advance of their next studio album. The Unraveling is due on Jan. 31; you can listen to the single "Armageddon's Back in Town" below.

The Unraveling is the first Drive-By Truckers album in more than three years – the longest gap ever between studio projects. Co-founding band leaders Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood chalked it up to writer's block.

“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?” Hood asked rhetorically in a news release. "How do you write about the daily absurdities when you can't even wrap your head around them in the first place? I think our response was to focus at the core emotional level – more heart and less cerebral perhaps.”

The band's 12th studio album was recorded at Sam Phillips Recording Services in Memphis with longtime producer David Barbe. Matt Ross Sprang, who previously worked with former Drive-By Truckers member Jason Isbell, was the engineer. Some tour dates have already been set, along with supporting festival appearances. A complete list of album tracks and shows are below.

Cooley and Hood were again joined by bassist Matt Patton, multi-instrumentalist Jay Gonzalez and drummer Brad Morgan. Together, they have formed the longest-lasting lineup in the group's nearly 25-year history. Guests on The Unraveling include Patti King of the Shins, violinist and string arranger Kyleen King and North Mississippi All-Stars' Cody Dickinson, who added electric washboard to "Babies in Cages."

"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 noted. "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."

Drive-By Truckers, 'The Unraveling' Track Listing
"Rosemary With a Bible and a Gun"
"Armageddon’s Back in Town"
"Slow Ride Argument"
"Thoughts and Prayers"
"21st Century USA"
"Heroin Again"
"Babies in Cages"
"Grievance Merchants"
"Awaiting Resurrection"

Drive-By Truckers 2010 Tour
Jan. 16 - Boulder, CO, Fox Theater
Jan. 17-18 - Denver, CO, Gothic Theatre
Feb. 13-15 - Athens, GA, 40 Watt Club
Feb. 18 - Carrboro, NC, Cat’s Cradle
Feb. 19 - Charlottesville, VA, Jefferson Theater
Feb. 21 - New York, NY, Webster Hall
Feb. 22 - Boston, MA, Somerville Theatre
Feb. 23 - Portland, ME, State Theatre
Feb. 25 - New Haven, CT, College Street Music Hall
Feb. 27 - Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer
Feb. 28-29 - Washington, DC, 9:30 Club
March 20-21 - Portland, OR, Wonder Ballroom
March 22 - Arcata, CA, Van Duzer Theatre
March 24 - Petaluma, CA, Mystic Theatre
March 26 - San Francisco, CA, the Fillmore
March 27 - Los Angeles, CA, the Regent Theater
March 28 - Phoenix, AZ, the Van Buren
March 31 - Albuquerque, NM, El Rey Theater
April 2 - Dallas, TX, Granada Theater
April 3-4 - Austin, TX, Scoot Inn
April 16-17 - Asheville, NC, the Orange Peel
April 18 - Charleston, NC, High Water Festival
April 21 - Winston-Salem, NC, the Ramkat
April 23 - Lexington, KY, Manchester Music Hall
April 24 - St. Louis, MO, the Pageant
April 25 - Nashville, TN, Ryman Auditorium
April Pensacola, FL, Vinyl Music Hall
April 28 - Orlando, FL, the Plaza Live
April 29 - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
May 1 - Birmingham, AL, Iron City
May 2 - Atlanta, GA, Shaky Knees
June 1 - Raalte, NL, Ribs and Blues
June 3 - Dublin, IE, Vicar Street
June 5 - Leeds, UK, Irish Centre
June 6 - London, UK, O2 Forum
June 7 - Amsterdam, NL, Paradiso
June 8 - Antwerp, BE, De Roma
June 9 - Koln, DE, Kantine
June 11 - Berlin, DE, Kesselhaus
June 12 - Copenhagen, DK, Amager Bio
June 13 - Stockholm, SE, Sthlm Americana
June 14 - Oslo, NO, Rockefeller
June 15 - Arhaus, DK, Train

 

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