Slightly behind the curve, but never one to ignore the stuff we love, The Hold Steady have returned with a new single ‘Family Farm’, taken from their forthcoming eighth studio album, Open Door Policy, out on their own Positive Jams label via Thirty Tigers on February 19th 2021.
Of the singe, guitarist Craig Finn says “Songs are created a bunch of different ways in The Hold Steady, but to me, our most classic songs are driving rock songs with piano breaks. “Family Farm” fits the bill. The genesis of the song was the guitar riff that starts the song. Tad Kubler played a home demo for me and our producer Josh Kaufman, and we thought it was worth pursuing. At this point it had the working title “August”. We brought it to the band and Franz had the idea for the bridge. This seemed like a “scene change” of sorts, and gave the song more depth and intrigue. We recorded it in December 2019 at the Clubhouse in upstate NY, just after our annual run of shows at the Brooklyn Bowl. Our friends Stuart Bogie and Jordan McLean added horns a bit later. I was personally happy to get a mention of Van Halen’s “Eruption” in the lyrics, and I appreciate it even more after Eddie Van Halen’s unfortunate recent passing. Overall, it feels like a song that will be fun to play live – uptempo, dynamic and a chorus with shout along potential.”
The Hold Steady have never been afraid of big riff and bigger tunes, and Family Farm is no different, with the band going big on guitar, brass and piano alongside a killer melody, while there’s the usual touch of the Americana (only a touch mind) that infects the track, the slacker rock of the vocals with the indie soul of the accompaniment.
It’s a rush. Check it out, here
The Hold Steady today announces their eighth studio album, Open Door Policy, arriving on the band’s own Positive Jams label via Thirty Tigers in February 2021. They band are also sharing the first single from the record, “Family Farm”.
Recorded at The Clubhouse in Rhinebeck, NY with producer Josh Kaufman and engineer D. James Goodwin, Open Door Policy marks the second LP by The Hold Steady to feature the band’s current six-piece lineup. Additional performers include Stuart Bogie and Jordan McLean on horns, Cassandra Jenkins and Annie Nero on backup vocals, and Matt Barrick on percussion.
Talking about the new album, singer and guitarist Craig Finn says: “Open Door Policy was very much approached as an album vs. a collection of individual songs, and it feels like our most musically expansive record,” says singer Craig Finn. “This album was written and almost entirely recorded before the pandemic started, but the songs and stories explore power, wealth, mental health, technology, capitalism, consumerism, and survival – issues which have compounded in 2020.”
Continuing about the new single “Family Farm” he says:
1 comment
Stay positive is also a great song, which seems relevant to 2020