Here’s a bit of good news for a Tuesday morning: A new song from The Hold Steady. Even better, the track — a typically chunky, crunchy rocker titled Family Farm — is the first peek at the band’s eighth studio album Open Door Policy, which will land in February, according to a press release they just dropped. Check it out above and read the band’s statement below:
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hey everyone! 2020 has been a, well, er, interesting year. Imagining The Weekender in London being the last time we’d all be together wasn’t the way anyone planned. But we’re excited to be able to play for you later this week with Massive Nights 2020 via the magic of live-streaming. What we’re possibly more excited about is ending 2020 by bringing you new music and starting off 2021 with a brand new album! Open Door Policy is our 8th studio album and will be released on Feb. 19.
We recorded Open Door Policy in two different sessions in the back half of 2019. Once again we teamed with producer Josh Kaufman and engineer Dan Goodwin, this time at the Clubhouse studio in upstate NY. Our intention was to create an album that worked as a grand piece, rather than a collection of songs. 2019 was an active year for The Hold Steady — our writing was consistent, and new songs were coming in pretty regularly. The recording process was creative, open and fun.
We were pretty much done with the record by the time we played a few of the new songs in London the first week of March 2020, as the unease of the pandemic was setting in. Not long after we got back from London, NYC shut down and we began to see our 2020 shows postponed. Over the next months, it became obvious that timing this album’s release to specific weekend celebrations wouldn’t be a possibility in the near future. But we were still excited to share it.
The songs on Open Door Policy are about power, wealth, & mental health. They’re about technology, occupation, consumerism, freedom, fandom and escape. And although the album was written and recorded in 2019, the themes of this record seem to be underscored and highlighted by this year of virus and quarantine. Big thanks to Dave McLaughlin for his photo on the album cover, which appears above.
Family Farm is the first song from the album we’re sharing. It originated from a demo Tad brought in, with Franz adding a classic THS bridge. Our friends Stuart Bogie and Jordan McLean came in with the horns. The song even includes a mention of the great Eddie Van Halen solo Eruption, an unintended tribute to a great rock hero in light of his recent passing.”
TRACKLIST
The Feelers
Spices
Lanyards
Family Farm
Unpleasant Breakfast
Heavy Covenant
The Prior Procedure
Riptown
Me & Magdalena
Hanover Camera
Parade Days
