Last year, Jason Boland and The Stragglers announced their next album, Last Kings of Babylon with the lead single “High Times.” Today (January 15), they’re giving listeners another sample of what’s in store with “Drive.”
Videos by American Songwriter
Jason Boland recently sat down with American Songwriter to talk about the forthcoming album, the band’s 25-year career and sonic evolution, and the latest single.
[RELATED: Jason Boland and Shooter Jennings Talk Boland’s New Concept LP, ‘The Light Saw Me’]
Jason Boland Discusses “Drive”
“Drive” is less about running from your problems and more about relocating to get a new perspective. One of three outside cuts on the forthcoming LP, Jason Boland and The Stragglers made the song their own.
“Jamie Lynn Wilson, Jason Eady, and Kelley Mickwee wrote it,” Boland said of the new single. “I’ve been a fan of the song forever and I’m also just a fan of—maybe from riding around as a kid listening to music—where the automobile and music meet. It’s always a nice spot to me. That, coupled with just loving that song just fit nicely on [the album],” he added.
Later in the conversation, Boland reflected on his lifelong love—and need—for the intersection of music and moving down the road. “I have to have it and always have,” he said. “I had a friend who lived around the corner from me and if it was raining or too cold to walk down there or something, before I would get in the car I would cue up a tape to a song I wanted to hear while I drove around the corner,” he recalled. “It’s always been a soundtrack to me. I think when dig it that much, that’s what keeps you honest.” That love of music has been keeping Boland and his band honest for more than two decades. Last year, they celebrated their 25th anniversary with a North American tour. The Last Kings of Babylon will show listeners that the band’s musical honesty and chemistry are still intact.
Boland also talked about “Drive” in a press release. “Sometimes the best way to deal with a problem is to leave it in the rearview. ‘Drive’ is a journey of self-reliance that takes you cross country to a lighter shade of blue,” he shared. “I’ve been a fan of multiple versions of this song for years, and I feel like we found a gear that cruises confidently down the road.”
The Last Kings of Babylon Tracklist and Info
The Last Kings of Babylon drops on March 14 via Thirty Tigers. Pre-order or pre-save your copy today.
- Next to Last Hank Williams
- Truest Colors
- Drive
- Take Me Back to Austin
- High Time
- One Law at a Time
- Ain’t No Justice
- Farmall
- Irish Goodbye
- Buffalo Return to the Plains
Featured Image by Will Von Bolton
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