The Hold Steady are back after five years with their new album Thrashing Thru The Passion via FrenchKiss Records on August 16th. This album is so quick and loose it will leave you covered in sweat and begging for more because it hits differently.
The star of the second track, Epaulets, is the piano. The keys seek out all the parts of you hanging onto the past and pull you back to the present. Traditional Village swings like your favourite hit from the 80s, fun like Billy Joel while the lyrics are straight forward and sung like a toned down, chill Randy Newman (if he was really into spoken word).
The Hold Steady – You Did Good Kid
The Stove & The Toaster is a detailed rant fueled by a punk beat and underlined with a ska flair. You can tell these songs are stories from a life well-lived, and the music on this album was created from experience.
There is a spontaneous, just screw-it energy to Thrashing Thru the Passion. It strays gracefully from the sound we’re over-hearing today, and with the piano and horns laced with in-your-face lyrics, this album might be the musical breakthrough we’re looking for.
