The Hold Steady recently put the finishing touches on ‘Heaven Is Whenever,’ their new album set for release May 4th on Vagrant Records and May 3rd on Rough Trade in the UK and EU. The album was produced by Dean Baltulonis, who engineered the band’s ‘Almost Killed Me’ and produced ‘Separation Sunday,’ and was recorded at Dreamland Recording Studios in Upstate NY and Wild Arctic Studios in Queens, NY, with mixing also happening at Wild Arctic.

Singer Craig Finn says ’Heaven Is Whenever’ is about “embracing suffering and finding reward in our everyday lives.” Piano and keys take a backseat to guitar on the new record, which also gets production help from guitarist Tad Kubler.

Recorded in several smaller sessions spread out over a long period of time, the songs on ‘Heaven Is Whenever’ received the benefit of being tested on the band’s recent tours. As Finn says this allowed them to “see what was working and what wasn’t. I believe this record benefits from us working at a more deliberate pace.”

The tracklisting for Heaven Is Whenever is:

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

See The Hold Steady perform songs from Heaven Is Whenever and more at the dates below:

Sasquatch Festival at the amazing Gorge Amphitheatre has announced their 2010 line-up and The Hold Steady are confirmed to play on Saturday, May 29, 2010!

Click HERE for more info about the festival, tickets, and to check out the complete line-up.

The Hold Steady are excited to announce they will be playing the 2010 Isle of Wight Festival on Saturday, June 12. The festival is held at Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle of Wight.

Click HERE for more info about the festival, tickets, and to check out the complete line-up.

After five great years with The Hold Steady, Franz Nicolay has decided to move on.  Franz is an extraordinary musician that brought a lot to our band and remains a good friend.  We wish Franz the best of luck in his future endeavors and thank him for his contributions and good times along the way.  It was truly a blast.

Sincerely,
THS

11. The Hold Steady: Boys and Girls in America [Vagrant] (2006)
The early promise of The Hold Steady came to full fruition on this career milestone that made classic rock cool again. Craig Finn’s story songs about desperate losers and God-obsessed hedonists were as literate as ever, Tad Kubler rocketed power chords to the back of the arena, and Franz Nicolay added vintage E Street Band keyboard fills. And thanks to a full slate of killer melodies, this time the boys and girls could not only chant along—they could sing along, too. Andy Whitman