Drive-By Truckers Releases New Song Recorded Before a Gig “Sea Island Lonely”

Drive-By Truckers have released a new song, “Sea Island Lonely.” The band recorded the song prior to a show at City Winery in New York City, according to their Bandcamp page, with lead singer Patterson Hood writing the song in the car as he traveled between shows. 

Hood, the band’s lead singer, wrote the song on a drive from Sea Island, GA to Jacksonville, FL after a show, on his way to the airport to catch a 5 a.m. flight to New York. The song’s lyrics reflect Hood’s drive, drawing up the momentary experience of the drive and where he was headed. 

“I played the song solo the following evening at City Winery in NYC,” Hood said in a statement on the song’s Bandcamp page. “It was recorded in one unrehearsed take. Literally a jam session as the band was warming up for a different song. I walked in as they were playing, dug the lyrics out and sang as they continued playing. Upon playback we decided it needed some horns and a bridge. We recorded the bridge separately and edited into the original take, literally minutes before the horn players arrived.”

“Sea Island Lonely” includes smooth saxophone mixed with trumpet and trombone, the horns slinking over a keyboard background, the song beginning slowly as Hood’s raspy voice moves over soft drum beats and a popping guitar. The horns appear through breaks in Hood’s lyrics, their deep tones creating a rich sound. Hood describes a man playing the piano as he entered his hotel in Sea Island, mentioning his jealousy in wishing he could play as good as the man he saw. He continues to weave the story of traveling from show to show while on tour.

Earlier this year, Drive-By Truckers released The Unraveling, their 12th studio album. The album included singles “Thoughts and Prayers” and “Armageddon’s Back In Town.” The country alternative band formed in 1996 and are based out of Athens, GA. Prior to their recent songs this year, the band had not released solo material since 2017’s “The Perilous Night,” but collaborated with Adam’s House Cat in 2018 for Town Burned Down.