Article Contributed by All Eyes Media
Published on January 9, 2026
CLAY STREET UNIT RELEASES NEW SINGLE “DRIVE” FROM FORTHCOMING DEBUT ALBUM SIN & SQUALOR OUT FEBRUARY 13TH VIA LEO33
Some songs don’t just describe distance — they move like it, mile by mile, thought by thought, until the horizon starts to feel personal. That’s the ache at the heart of Clay Street Unit’s new single, “Drive”, a road-worn reflection that builds into an emotional sprint, capturing the helplessness (and the impulse) that can come with loving someone from afar.
Out today, “Drive” is the latest offering from the Colorado-based roots band’s forthcoming debut album, Sin & Squalor, due out February 13 via Leo33. Listen to “Drive” HERE.
Co-written by the sextet’s chief songwriters — lead singer Sam Walker and mandolin player Scottie Bolin — “Drive” opens as a touring musician’s lament, anchored in the constant pull of the person waiting back home.
“Scottie and I sat down one night to write a song, and it just really naturally wrote itself,” says Walker. “We kept coming back to this idea of the road being the biggest obstacle of a relationship and how helpless that feeling can be. The song is about wanting to be with someone and the impulse you might have to just drop everything and drive to them. In the studio, we thought, ‘Why not highlight that urgency by kicking into double time at the end of the song?’ We wanted to really showcase the immediacy of the moment.”
“Drive” further highlights the emotional depth and dynamic range that define Sin & Squalor, a record balancing grit and grace, joy and hardship, sin and salvation. Produced by Chris Pandolfi of GRAMMY-winning group The Infamous Stringdusters, the album captures Clay Street Unit at full stride: drawing on folk, rock, country, and Americana traditions while folding them seamlessly into a sound that feels fresh, timeless, and lived-in.
Formed in Denver in 2021, the group’s 2022 debut EP, A Mighty Fine Evening, introduced their genre-blending approach as the band worked relentlessly to sharpen their live show. After earning traction around the Denver and Colorado scenes, the band hit the road coast to coast, building a passionate community of fans along the way — the kind drawn to performances that feel combustible, communal, and impossible to fake.
Clay Street Unit is Sam Walker (lead vocals/guitar), Scottie Bolin (mandolin/vocals), Jack Cline (banjo), Brad Larrison (pedal steel), Brendan Lamb (drums), and Jack Kotarba (bass). With members originating in Montgomery, AL, Charlottesville, VA, Atlanta, GA, Philadelphia, PA, Denver, CO, and Washington, DC, their varied backgrounds converge into a signature style that comes fully into focus on Sin & Squalor.
Below are the band’s newly announced tour dates, including appearances at Tropic of Cancer Music & Arts Festival, WinterWonderGrass, and Rooster Walk, plus select dates with Cris Jacobs and co-headlining shows with Jason Scott & The High Heat and The Brothers Comatose.
CLAY STREET UNIT TOUR DATES
Jan. 14–18 – Todos Santos, MX – Tropic of Cancer Music & Arts Festival
Jan. 15 – Todos Santos, MX – Tropic of Cancer Festival
Jan. 16 – Todos Santos, MX – Tropic of Cancer Festival
Jan. 17 – Todos Santos, MX – Tropic of Cancer Festival
Feb. 12 – Birmingham, AL – Saturn ^
Feb. 13 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West ^
Feb. 14 – Nashville, TN – The Basement East ^
Feb. 18 – St. Louis, MO – Old Rock House #
Feb. 19 – Indianapolis, IN – Turntable #
Feb. 20 – Des Moines, IA – xBk Live #
Feb. 21 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads #
Feb. 27 – Steamboat Springs, CO – WinterWonderGrass
Feb. 28 – Steamboat Springs, CO – WinterWonderGrass
Mar. 1 – Steamboat Springs, CO – WinterWonderGrass
Mar. 5 – Oklahoma City, OK – Beer City Music Hall ^
Mar. 6 – Fort Worth, TX – Birdie’s Social Club ^
Mar. 8 – Houston, TX – Dan Electro’s ^
March 20 – Salt Lake City – The Urban Lounge
March 21 – Grand Junction, CO – Mesa Theater
March 28 — Athens, GA — Jam in the Streets
April 30 – Isle Of Palms, SC – The Windjammer *
May 1 – Southern Pines, NC – Sunrise Theater
May 2 – Edenton, NC – RockFish Fest
May 7 – Greer, SC – Spring Skunk Music Festival
May 16 – Virginia Beach, VA – Elevation 27
May 21–24 — Martinsville, VA — Rooster Walk 16
May 28 – Chicago, IL – Martyrs’
May 29 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
May 30 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club
July 17 — Morrison, CO — Red Rocks Amphitheatre
August 1 – Del Norte, CO – Rhythm on The Rio
September 11–13 — Bristol, TN — Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
^ with Cris Jacobs
# Co-headline with Jason Scott & The High Heat
* Co-headline with The Brothers Comatose
For ticket information and the most up-to-date routing, visit claystreetunit.com/tour.
