Drive-By Truckers and Club XIII are a story that feels custom fit for an American rock band documentary. In the musical shadow of Muscle Shoals, with a powerhouse songwriter born to a member of the now legendary Muscle Shoals rhythm section, and still managing to go so far outside of expectations that the pre-DBT band Adam’s House Cat could barely catch a gig. It could easily be the story of a band that didn’t make it, playing to empty rooms until their egos collapse and they just move on. Listening to an album like Welcome 2 Club XIII, I’ve never been more grateful for the power of persistence.

Coming off of two records that were absolute gut wrenching views into the state of the landscape in America with overtly political statements and fresh off of a pandemic, Welcome 2 Club XIII takes a departure. It’s a retrospective on a life lived hard, and hard earned scars, bruises and stories to prove it.

“The Driver” is youthful optimism meeting worldly perspectives as it sets the stage for a record full of memories and legacy. It opens with a celebration of being in the room with your friends and partners, the brothers you see the country through van, bus, car windows recounting the glory of the bad ol’ days. Hood notes that this record was born of being in a room together for the first time since the opening of the pandemic, and the catching up and old stories made their way to tape; a combination of what you want to share and the open book voyeurism the band has allowed most of their career.

The title track “Welcome 2 Club XIII” recounts the band's early days cutting their teeth to hateful crowds. Hood admits it’s funnier now than it was when it was happening. “Maybe we’ll be horse farm drunk / Maybe we’ll act obscene / Muscle Shoals just needs some Punk / Welcome 2 Club XIII,” the lyric captures the essence of the recklessness, joy, and fun hearted burning the town down, that the traveling tornado that the bands fans know simply as “the rock show” can bring.

No DBT record is complete without at least one unforgettable Cooley track. There are no exceptions here. “Every Single Storied Flameout” proves that the underrated and understated songwriter who shares the long history with Hood is still absolutely writing songs that hit like a nuclear bomb.

If the opener “The Driver” is the device to set the scene and launch you into a story that can only end by exploding, “Wilder Days” picks through the debris. “I find it best to laugh at the absurdity of life above ground / There’s no comfort in survival but it’s still the best option that I’ve found” speaks to the nihilist in everyone. Lyrically this record is possibly the hardest look inward the band has ever created. Known for pointing at and speaking of the world outside, this record is personal, and it’s beautiful and powerful because of the shift in perspective.

If you’ve somehow missed Drive-By Truckers, then I’m glad you’re here and you have a world waiting in front of you. There’s no VH1 Behind the Music long enough to tell the whole story, but luckily there’s a trail of records, one of a kind songs, and members both current and former. Bands have a hard time supporting one storyteller and songwriter; DBT for years has managed to continually keep two of the most potent songwriters in the game under the same banner. Rumor is, somewhere in their history there was a third guy who may have written a decent song or two. Welcome 2 Club XIII celebrates and laments that legacy and calls you to join while warning you against it.

Welcome 2 Club XIII is out now, and if you aren’t already playing it on repeat, now’s a good time to start. If these heathens are burning through your town, go to the rock show.

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