There are no strangers at a Drew Holcomb show. For the better part of two decades, the award-winning songwriter has brought his audience together night after night, turning his shows into celebrations not only of contemporary American roots music, but of community and collaboration.

He celebrates that sense of togetherness with Strangers No More, the ninth studio album from Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors. Written on both sides of a global pandemic that brought the band’s schedule to a temporary halt, it’s a record about the perspective of time, the rollercoaster of triumph and tragedy, and jubilation in the face of chaos. Holcomb and his longtime bandmates aren’t just reveling in one another’s presence after a long hiatus; they’re expanding their sound, too, finding room for timeless songwriting, modern-day Laurel Canyon folk, amplified Americana, and heartland rock & roll.

Even more important than Holcomb’s characters are his collaborators, including bandmates Nathan Dugger (guitar), Rich Brinsfield (bass), Will Sayles (drums), and Ian Miller (keys). Some of those musicians have been members of The Neighbors since the very beginning. “Nathan and I have been playing together for nearly 20 years,” Holcomb says. “Rich and I have been playing for 18 years. I wanted to lean into that shared history and make a genuine ‘band record.'” Working again with producer and friend Cason Cooley, the group headed to Asheville’s Echo Mountain Studios to record Strangers No More in eight inspired days. They focused on live-in-the-studio performances that showcased the band’s chemistry and camaraderie, capturing the bulk of each song — including vocals, instrumental textures, and solos — in real time. “We’d do eight to ten performances of a single song, looking for the revelatory moment,” Holcomb remembers. “The goal was to prove an expanded vision of who we are and what we do.”