The Hold Steady have announced their ninth studio album, ‘The Price Of Progress’ – listen to new single ‘Sideways Skull’ below.
The Brooklyn-based band are due to release the follow-up to 2021’s ‘Open Door Policy’ on March 31 through their own Positive Jams label via Thirty Tigers (pre-order/pre-save here).
Speaking about the first preview of the forthcoming record, frontman Craig Finn explained: “‘Sideways Skull’ is a rocking song about rock and rollers.
“In this case, they’ve been taken out of the game for a bit of rest, but still keep their dreams alive as they discuss past glories.”
Finn continued: “We loved the big sound of this when [guitarist] Tad Kubler brought it into the band, and the studio performance of it felt especially joyful. We’re happy to put this forth as a first look at ‘The Price Of Progress’, and the album’s title even comes from this song.”
The LP will also include the cuts ‘Grand Junction’, ‘Understudies’, ‘The Birdwatchers’ and ‘Distortions Of Faith’ – check out the full tracklist below.
1. ‘Grand Junction’
2. ‘Sideways Skull’
3. ‘Carlos Is Crying’
4. ‘Understudies’
5. ‘Sixers’
6. ‘The Birdwatchers’
7. ‘City At Eleven’
8. ‘Perdido’
9. ‘Distortions Of Faith’
10. ‘Flyover Halftime’
The Hold Steady – ‘The Price Of Progress’, official album artwork. CREDIT: Press
“These are some of the most cinematic songs in The Hold Steady catalog,” said Finn, “and the record was a joy to make. I feel like we went somewhere we haven’t before, which is a very exciting thing for a band that is two decades into our career.”
‘The Price Of Progress’ was produced by longtime collaborator Josh Kaufman at The Clubhouse in Rhinebeck, New York, and mixed by D. James Goodwin.
Described as the group’s “most sonically expansive record” yet, it’ll arrive in The Hold Steady’s 20th anniversary year.
The group are set to celebrate reaching the two-decade milestone at their three-night London residency, ‘The Weekender’, in March. You can find any remaining tickets here, and see the schedule below.
MARCH
10 – Electric Ballroom, London
11 – Electric Ballroom, London
12 – Colours Hoxton, London