SPIN: Let’s start with
Open Door Policy. It’s your second time writing and recording with the current six-man group. How did the process compare to the sessions that turned into
Thrashing Thru The Passion?
Craig Finn: I think one of the stories of
Thrashing Thru The Passion, but especially
Open Door Policy, is that Franz and Steve, there were times in the past when only one of them was in the band. So they kind of have had to figure out their space. And as we’ve written, that’s become a big part of it. Figuring out where they both fit. And I think we did a good job of that on Thrashing. And I think we did an amazing job on
“‘Spices’ began with the intro riff that guitarist Tad Kubler brought in,” frontman Craig Finn said of the new song, “and it unfurled quickly when the band got together. It’s probably one of the heaviest songs on the record, but it achieves some levity with the horn section that arrives at the chorus.
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“Like a number of others on the record, ‘Spices’ speaks of technology – the way texts, social media, DMs, etc. allow acquaintances to pop up into our lives and potentially disappear again just as quickly.”
Listen to ‘Spices’ below.
Discussing the meaning behind ‘Open Door Policy’, Finn added: “‘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.
The Hold Steady Share New Song Spices Friday, 29 January 2021
The Hold Steady have unveiled a new song.
Spices is the third cut following Heavy Covenant and Family Farm to preview the renowned rock band s eighth studio album, Open Door Policy , which is due for release on February 19.
The track finds singer and guitarist Craig Finn s spoken word storytelling taking centre stage as guitar riffs bend around eachother and build to a crescendo of driving percussion and horns. Finn said:
“‘Spices’ began with the intro riff that guitarist Tad Kubler brought in, and it unfurled quickly when the band got together. It’s probably one of the heaviest songs on the record, but it achieves some levity with the horn section that arrives at the chorus. Like a number of others on the record, ‘Spices’ speaks of technology – the way texts, social media, DMs, etc. allow acquaintances to pop up into our lives and potentially disappear again just as quickly.”
The Hold Steady share new single Spices | News diymag.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from diymag.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
2 months ago Heavy Covenant by The Hold Steady
The Hold Steady have dropped “Heavy Covenant,” the latest single off the band’s forthcoming release
Open Door Policy, available via Positive Jams label via Thirty Tigers on Friday, February 19, 2021. “‘Heavy Covenant’ is a song about travel, technology, and human connection,” says singer Craig Finn. “The song came out of two different music pieces that THS piano/keyboardist Franz Nicolay brought in, and with the help of producer Josh Kaufman, we combined them. It came together quickly, and when our friends Stuart and Jordan came in and added the horns to the chorus it really seemed to bring it together. To us, this song is a great indication of where the band’s sound is at in 2021.”