Nearly 20 years after they first got together in Athens, GA, Drive-By Truckers are still breaking new ground. Their latest album, “English Oceans,” comes after a three-year break – not an unusual gap for a lot of bands, but unusual for the Truckers, who have released 14 albums since convening in 1996 (including b-sides and “greatest hits” collections). The extra time off allowed guitarist/singer/songwriter Mike Cooley to write more than he ever had, resulting in an album almost equally split between his songs and those of Patterson Hood, whose writing had dominated the past few releases. Cooley spurred them into the studio, and even sings one of Hood’s songs, a first for the Truckers. Cooley and Hood have both said they think “English Oceans” is their best album to date, and it’s hard to argue with them.
The new line-up, featuring multi-instrumentalist Jay Gonzalez, bassist Matt Patton, and Trucker-for-life, drummer Brad Morgan, is clicking, owing at least in part to a better understanding of dynamic tension on his and Hood’s parts. That serves them well in reproducing “Oceans” live, which they will do at the House of Blues Friday. The album encompasses Stonesy rock (“Shit Shots Count,” “Til He’s Dead or Rising”), folky acoustic songs (“First Day of Autumn,” “Hanging On”), honky-tonk (“Natural Light”), with the Truckers’ ever-present political commentary (“Made Up English Oceans,” “The Part of Him”). “English Oceans” is the sound of a good band getting better. We spoke with Cooley by phone about the new album and his quest for “better bullshit.”