At the Drive In Detail First Album in 17 Years, Release Frantic New Song

More than two months after releasing their thunderous comeback single “Governed By Contagions,” At the Drive In officially detailed their first studio album in 17 years, in • ter a • li • a, out May 5th via Rise Records. The band also issued the LP’s second new track, the frantic, poignant “Incurably Innocent.”

The song is built on guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’ phaser-heavy riffs and drummer Tony Hajjar’s propulsive tom-toms. Singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala unfurls a web of surreal lyrics (“Pray that your family never forgets/ The arousal from the corpse that fuels your taste”) that grow more linear in the chorus. In a statement, the frontman described “Incurably Innocent” as “a song about sexual abuse and being able to finally speak out.”

Rodriguez-Lopez and Rich Costey co-produced the 11-track, 41-minute in • ter a • li • a – the title is Latin for “Among other things” – at Hollywood’s Sound Factory. It’s the band’s first LP since 2000’s Relationship of Command.

In March, the band reunited for their first shows since 2012 – though the tour got off to a bizarre start when guitarist Jim Ward departed the evening prior to the first concert. In an in-depth interview with Rolling Stone, Rodriguez-Lopez said the band recorded new material on the road using a portable rig. While he declined to describe the songs, he added that the trek found the band “picking up where [they] left off.”

At the Drive In will kick off their next North American tour on March 17th in New Orleans. Following the album release, they’ll kick off a series of newly announced concerts in their native El Paso, Texas. A full list of dates is available at their official site. 

At the Drive In – in • ter a • li • a Track List

1. “No Wolf Like the Present”
2. “Continuum”
3. “Tilting at the Univendor”
4. “Governed by Contagions”
5. “Pendulum in a Peasant Dress”
6. “Incurably Innocent”
7. “Call Broken Arrow”
8. “Holtzclaw”
9. “Torrentially Cutshaw”
10. “Ghost-Tape No. 9”
11. “Hostage Stamps”