Jason Boland & The Stragglers have announced their ninth studio album Hard Times Are Relative, releasing May 18th. Together with his longtime band The Stragglers, Jason Boland has remained a true craftsman of genuine, no-frills country music for nearly two decades.

According to the press release, "Hard Times Are Relative finds Jason Boland & The Stragglers once again expanding the boundaries of what country music can be, while staying true to its original purpose: storytelling in the purest form."

The album is described as being "immediately gratifying country with a conscience and a shot of adrenaline. The theme running throughout much of the album focuses on our complicated relationship with the past and accepting the inevitability of change. Songs such as “Do You Remember When” and “Tattoo Of A Bruise” address the need to preserve our history, while “Predestined” questions how much we control the future. Hard Times Are Relative was recorded live to tape, a trademark of the band, and co-produced by The Stragglers, David Percefull and Adam Odor."

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