They are one of my "Big Four", my all-time favorite bands: The Hold Steady. Together with The Weakerthans, The Gaslight Anthem and The Thermals, Craig Finn and his bandmates are one constant in my permanent musical odyssey. So of course I was excited to see that the New York indie-rock outfit has a new record out! After all, I have always bought the albums and some wonderful memories are connected to that - going into a Dublin record store and buying "Heaven Is Whenever" for example. I still remember how it looked in there - and a record store is something that can never be replaced by streaming services and mp3 files.
But let's talk about the music: "Denver Haircut" is the archetypical opener that you would expect from The Hold Steady. Craig Finn tells us a captivating story and the musical ingredients that make THS such a fun band are all there. The lyrics are memorable, with the line "It doesn't have to be pure/it doesn't have to be perfect/Just sort of has to be worth it" being the one that sticks. "Epaulets", "You Did Good Kid" and Traditional Village" all sport brass sections and you can clearly notice that the rough electric guitars that still are the foundation step aside often to make room for piano bits. The Hold Steady are still highly unique while at the same time trying to refine their sound. "Blackout Sam" is the last of the five new songs on this record and you have the feeling that the A-Side of your record is coming to an end when the final notes are sung.
The five next songs have been published digitally over a time span of the last few years, making it simpler for the band to escape the promo cycle and providing a new opportunity of releasing music without further ado. "Entitlement Crew" is a overwhelming joy of a song, while "Confusion in the Marketplace" is a mellow conclusion to a very welcome lifesign of this band that many of us hold so dearly in our musical hearts. The Hold Steady manage to add new relevant stuff to their artistic oeuvre without feeling repetitive. Now we need to celebrate the songs during live shows - so please please come to Germany quick!
"Thrashing Thru The Passion" was released on August 16 via Frenchkiss Records. Here you can listen to "Denver Haircut":