The Last Kings of Babylon Out March 14 via Thirty Tigers
Today, Texas-via-Oklahoma band Jason Boland & The Stragglers have released their new single “Drive” from The Last Kings of Babylon, out March 14 via Thirty Tigers. Written by Jason Eady, the boot-stomping song finds Boland attempting to outrun the memories of an ex from Jackson to Memphis and from the desert to the ocean. The album marks a full circle moment for the band as they reunite with legendary producer Lloyd Maines, who produced the band’s debut album Pearl Snaps.
Stream/embed “Drive” via YouTube
Pre-order/Pre-save The Last Kings of Babylon
About the new single, Jason Boland explains, “Sometimes the best way to deal with a problem is to leave it in the rear view. ‘Drive’ is a journey of self reliance that takes you cross country to a lighter shade of blue. 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.”
On the new LP, Boland and his longtime group are continuing to evolve, pushing sonic boundaries and challenging genre conventions even as they embrace history and tradition. The 10-song collection serves as both a return to form and a major step forward in the band’s development and features first single “High Time,” a rollicking toast to the ones who bring the weed.
Jason Boland & The Stragglers will embark on a 2025 album release tour that kicks off on March 14 in Waco, TX and culminates with four sold-out “The Boys of Oklahoma” stadium shows from April 10-14 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, OK alongside Cross Canadian Ragweed, Turnpike Troubadours, The Great Divide and Stoney LaRue. Find a full list of tour dates below or visit their website.
The announcement of The Last Kings of Babylon arrives on the heels of the band’s 25th anniversary. A quarter of a century ago, Boland and his Stragglers cemented themselves in the alt-country and Red Dirt scenes with the release of their 1999 breakthrough Pearl Snaps. Hailed by the New York Times as “one of the country scene’s most multidimensional songwriters,” Boland would go on to sell more than half a million albums and collaborate with Shooter Jennings and Robert Earl Keen over the course of his career.
In 2024 alone, Boland and his band mounted a 30-date anniversary tour, released a live album Live From Cain’s Ballroom, and cemented their status as one of the pillars of the Red Dirt movement with “The Boys of Oklahoma” concerts which have sold over 180,000 tickets.
The Last Kings of Babylon tracklist:
1) Next To Last Hank Williams
2) Truest Colors
3) Drive
4) Take Me Back To Austin
5) High Time
6) One Law At A Time
7) Ain’t No Justice
8) Farmall
9) Irish Goodbye
10) Buffalo Return To The Plains
Tour Dates:
1/16 – West Siloam Springs, OK – Cherokee Casino – West Siloam Springs – Seven Stage
1/17 – Roland, OK – Cherokee Casino – Roland
1/30 – Lake Charles, LA – Southlake Theater
1/31 – Beaumont, TX – Belle Oaks
2/1 – Justin, TX – Mule Barn
2/8 – Walnut Springs, TX – Rattlesnake Roadhouse
2/15 – Yantis, TX – Neon Moon Restaurant and Social Club
2/22 – Fredericksburg, TX – Luckenbach Texas
3/14 – Waco, TX – The Backyard Bar Stage and Grill
3/15 – Dallas, TX – The Kessler
3/20 – Austin, TX – 3Ten ACL Live
3/21 – Lubbock, TX – Cactus Theater
3/22 – Roswell, NM – The Liberty, Inc
3/28 – Springfield, MO – Midnight Rodeo
3/29 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi Indy
3/31 – Detroit, MI – El Club
4/1 – Evanston, IL – SPACE
4/2 – Bloomington, IN – Castle Theatre
4/3 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre
4/4 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads
4/5 – Fort Smith, AR – The Majestic
4/10 – Stillwater, OK – Boone Pickens Stadium
4/11 – Stillwater, OK – Boone Pickens Stadium
4/12 – Stillwater, OK – Boone Pickens Stadium
4/13 – Stillwater, OK – Boone Pickens Stadium