The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn Announces New Solo Album Always Been

The April 4 release features members of War On Drugs, Kathleen Edwards & more.

Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn just revealed that he’ll release his latest solo album Always Been on April 4. To preview the LP, he also dropped the excellent single People of Substance. A spry indie-rock tale of regret and redemption features members of The War On Drugs — including frontman Adam Granduciel on guitar and keyboards — with Canada’s Kathleen Edwards providing backing vocals. Check out the visualizer video above, listen to the song below, and read the official statement right here:

 


THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE:Always Been is the sixth solo album from Craig Finn, arriving April 4, 2025. The album was produced by Finn’s longtime friend Adam Granduciel, the principal of The War on Drugs. Always Been is direct in both music and title. As Finn says, “I’ve always been Craig Finn.”

From the opener Bethany, a moody piano-driven portrait with a distinctive Granduciel guitar solo, to the propulsion of the first single People of Substance, to the vivid storytelling and character development that has marked Finn’s career, this record feels at once familiar and fresh.

Recorded throughout 2024 at One Cue Studio in Burbank, Always Been features a host of musicians, including many of Granduciel’s bandmates in The War on Drugs. Kathleen Edwards and Sam Fender provide guest vocals. The musical result is distinctive, purposeful, and commanding.

This is perhaps Finn’s most narrative record yet. It tells the story of a man who becomes a clergyman despite a lack of faith. The songs detail his rise, fall, and eventual redemption, while also shining a light to sharply reveal the other characters that populate the world he moves through.

Always Been is Finn’s sixth solo record, standing alongside his nine albums with The Hold Steady. With his last solo release, A Legacy of Rentals, receiving year-end accolades from far and wide, Always Been arrives as an exciting next step for this prolific storyteller and songwriter.”