Drive-By Truckers
The Unraveling
(ATO Records)
3.5/5
After a three year wait, Drive-By Truckers are back with their 12th studio LP, The Unraveling. The Athens, Georgia-based southern rockers have developed a devoted fanbase, which has translated to minor chart success.
The Unraveling is a collection of stories of our troubled times, covering guns, heroin, and political divide, accompanied by a well-oiled southern rock/alt-country machine. The front end is loaded with energetic rock reminiscent of early Tom Petty on songs like “Armageddon’s Back in Town,” “Slow Ride Argument,” and “Thoughts and Prayers,” but the album is loaded with great deep cuts. The last track, “Awaiting Resurrection,” is a great blues number that highlights the studio work that channels Neil Young’s late-80s sound.
Drive-By Truckers’ latest is really good if you give it time to grow on you. The Unraveling won’t sell through radio play, but it’s a complete album that offers variety, emotion, and great musicianship.