The Hold Steady have shared a previously unreleased song.
Separate Vacations is one of nine additional rare, alternate and unheard bonus tracks that will feature on the Brooklyn-based rock veterans' forthcoming 10th anniversary reissue of their 2010 album 'Heaven Is Whenever'.
The mid-tempo guitar-driven cut is available as an instant download when fans pre-order the record, due out November 27 on multiple formats, including black and limited edition coloured vinyl.
Additionally, among the bonus material will be six tunes available exclusively via streaming services as well as liner notes by Drive-By Truckers co-founding singer-songwriter and guitarist Patterson Hood, who said:
"'Heaven Is Whenever' saw one of the most loved bands of this, then still-new century take a perceived stumble and face a small comeuppance. It happens. Many bands don’t survive it, much less come out the other side intact and possibly better than ever… A lesser band might have imploded. Lesser artists might have tried to continue on repeating a successful template that denied the real consequences of the machine they built. Instead they dug deep and pushed onward into a darker night of the soul."
Announcing the package on Facebook, the band wrote:
Everyone seems to have an opinion about our fifth album, 'Heaven is Whenever'. Ten years later, going over these songs for this reissue, we’ve taken on a great new appreciation for this collection. With some distance, it seems we were trying to get somewhere else, and this was a necessary transition record. The songs are weary, but with a dark humor. It might even be the funniest Hold Steady LP, although it’s sometimes hard to tell because it doesn’t convey the same ecstatic joy as some of the earlier records.
For the 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, Heaven is Whenever includes nine bonus tracks that tell the story of the time it was made. We were chasing something that was mostly undefined, and we kept making more and more music. We recorded stuff we forgot about like Wonderful Struggle, stuff we’ve played live but never released, like Separate Vacations, and even an alternate version of We Can Get Together.
The album wasn’t a lot of fun to make. It was recorded in fits and starts. At one point, we left Dreamland Studios early due to a medical issue. The label folks flew in and visited to see what the hell was going on. Franz had left the band, Steve had yet to join, and we were coming off several years of non-stop touring. We’d become a bit more self-aware than in our early days. Many of our favorite bands didn’t make it to their 5th LP, and it’s hard to keep a band evolving for that long. Rock problems, right?
One huge bright spot about this period is that Steve Selvidge came in for the touring on this album cycle. He became and remains a huge part of the heart and soul of THS. In fact, our biggest regret about Heaven now is that we didn’t record this album with Franz and Steve.
There’s even more to the story — the Super Deluxe version of the album available on streaming platforms will include tracks from the 2009 Avatar Sessions in New York City, versions of 'Heaven is Whenever' songs that Franz was working on with the band prior to his departure.
Here in 2020, we’re very proud of 'Heaven is Whenever'. It’s the sound of a band pushing through difficult times by making music about that very struggle. It acknowledges suffering as part of human life. And with all the extra songs that we recorded beyond the album tracks, it’s a testament to the band’s willingness to show up and try to work through uncertainty. Our amazing friend Patterson Hood from the Drive-By Truckers has a lot more to say about that in the LP liner notes.
Happy 10 years to 'Heaven is Whenever'!
'Heaven Is Whenever' tracklist:
Disc 1:
1. The Sweet Part of the City
2. Soft in the Center
3. The Weekenders
4. The Smidge
5. Rock Problems
6. We Can Get Together
7. Hurricane J
8. Barely Breathing
9. Our Whole Lives
10. A Slight Discomfort
Disc 2:
1. Ascension Blues
2. Touchless
3. Separate Vacations
4. Criminal Fingers
5. Beer On The Bedstand
6. At Least Not Tonight
7. Wonderful Struggle
8. Going On A Hike
9. We Can Get Together (Alternate)
Digital Bonus Tracks:
1. Hurricane J (Avatar Sessions)
2. Our Whole Lives (Avatar Sessions)
3. Separate Vacations (Avatar Sessions)
4. Going On A Hike (Avatar Sessions)
5. We Can Get Together (Avatar Sessions)
6. Beer On The Bedstand (Demo)
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