Eric Church Rides Shotgun in New Track ‘Bad Mother Trucker’

Eric Church rides shotgun to a special kind of hell on wheels in the new track “Bad Mother Trucker,” shifting gears again as another album approaches.

Co-written by Church with Casey Beathard, Luke Dick and Jeremy Spillman, the strutting blues-rocker is full of twangy attitude in typical Church fashion, telling the tale of a tough-as-nails female truck driver. Jamming gears and demanding respect all across the nation’s interstates, she can’t be tamed — and neither can the song’s sound. Featuring slippery slide guitar, sneering vocals and loosely-pocketed drums, it’s tailor made to bring the live-concert feel back to fans still missing the action.

“She was hell on wheels where the road meets the rubber / A real gear jammer, a white line wonder / Yeah you only get one and I wouldn’t want another / ’Cause Mama was a bad mother trucker,” goes the heavy-hauling hook.

“Bad Mother Trucker” is yet another glimpse of Church’s upcoming seventh album, which he’s been teasing with select releases since the pandemic began. There’s no word yet on when that project might arrive, but “Bad Mother Trucker” follows the combative current single, “Stick That in Your Country Song,” plus live-streamed performances of “Never Break Heart” and “Jenny,” plus the spoken-word standout, “Through My Ray Bans.”