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”
