Four years ago, Drive-By Truckers released a politically charged album that warned about the troubles that could befall American society. Now, on “The Unraveling” they sing about the troubles that have become reality since then. Says lead singer, Patterson Hood: “I’ve always said that politics are personal and this album is especially personal.”

With songs about gun violence, opioid addiction, the immigration crisis and the collapse of small town America, “The Unraveling” is not a fun listen but the ingenuity of their songwriters and the interplay between these long-time band members make it a powerful statement and the characters in the songs are instantly relatable.

The evil that pervades all the songs is tempered by glimpses of hope in the aftermath. The album is less about complaining and more about encouraging healthy debate and activism about what should be done now.

Drive By Truckers have been recording for over twenty years and on their fourteenth release, “The Unravelling” they’ve gone well beyond the American south-centric themes of past albums. Now they are all-in on America as a whole and they are saying the things that need to be said.  

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