The Hold Steady - The Price of Progress (Album Review)
Monday, 03 April 2023
Written by Craig Howieson
Photo: Shervin Lainez
"It's hard to make friends when your job is so demanding." You can almost hear the lump in Craig Finn's throat as he delivers this line during Sixers, a standout on The Hold Steady’s ninth album ‘The Price of Progress’.
The group’s bar band bluster has always been accompanied by the feeling that they are wise beyond their years. Finn's astute worldview, and nuanced understanding of the human condition, seemingly stems from someone who has lived a hundred lives, while Tad Kubler’s retro-rock guitar heroics hark back to a glorious but bygone era.
Now, as the band settles into middle age they are embedded in a world they have created, while musically expanding upon a tried and tested formula. The themes affecting Finn's anti-heroes also reflect the aging process.
His character studies now zero in on the sharp edges of growing older that are impossible to comprehend in your youth—the obstacles that careers, kids and mortgages throw up when you are trying to make new friends and meaningful connections, or the difficulty in moving on from a past that is comfortable to live in, to make the most of the most of the present.
On Carlos is Crying we find a protagonist crushed by life’s slow onslaught. An estranged sister, a lost job and a fading relationship are hollowing him out, but in typical Hold Steady fashion the story feels redemptive as a funky guitar line is devoured by pounding power chords.
It's 20 years now since the band's debut, and close to 10 since an extended hiatus that many, the band included, thought could be permanent. Since their return with 2019’s ‘Thrashing Thru The Passion’ they haven’t faltered, and ‘The Price Of Progress’ is another high water mark.
The rule book hasn't been rewritten but there are subtle changes that both elevate and bring a revitalised edge. Finn’s lyrics have lost some of their sense of detachment and it would seem he is no longer a casual observer. He feels closer to his subjects than ever, with a deep understanding of their complex lives and issues. It brings an added warmth to ‘The Price Of Progress’ and makes the singalong moments, of which there are plenty, all the more resonant.
The Hold Steady's appeal has always lay in their universality. They possess the ability to communicate with both the highbrow and gutter punks, the drifters and the nine to fivers. We all share in life's trials and need the same escape, which Finn and his cohorts know is something a rock ‘n’ roll band can provide. As he sings on Carlos Is Crying: “I love you / I feel you / I'm sorry you're hurting.”
The Hold Steady Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Thu April 27 2023 - PORTLAND Oregon - Mississippi Studios (USA)
Fri April 28 2023 - PORTLAND Oregon - Revolution Hall Portland (USA)
Sat April 29 2023 - PORTLAND Oregon - Revolution Hall Portland (USA)
Sat May 13 2023 - BOSTON Massachusetts - Roadrunner (USA)
Fri June 30 2023 - CHICAGO Illinois - Salt Shed - Chicago (USA)
Sat July 01 2023 - CHICAGO Illinois - Salt Shed - Chicago (USA)
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