By DJ Astrocreep
Artwork for Thrashing Thru The Passion by The Hold Steady
The Hold Steady have been a firm favourite of mine for a few years now, so it was no brainer that I’d be interested when their new offering arrived in our inbox. The main question, before I listened, was whether it was a proper return to form or a flailing stab for regaining something they had a long while ago, a common worry for anyone who has waited five years for a follow-up album.
Well, with the link below for lead single ‘Denver Haircut’ my review could be short and succinct, with a rather emphatic HELL YEAH, but please allow me to continue. The band seem to have regained some of the vigour that they had in their early career, which was very good to hear, given how often that is not the case, in a similar manner to last year’s release by Mudhoney.
As well as ‘Denver Haircut’, there is a good standard of consistency of strong tracks throughout this release, with ‘Entitlement Crew’, ‘T-shirt Tux’ and ‘Traditional Village’ all showing that early knack of memorable hooks and quality lyrics that made The Hold Steady into the band they became.
A couple of the tracks have a similar sound, which is as close to any gripes as I can really get to with this album, though even with that said, there’s enough difference throughout the album that this isn’t a big downside, more The Hold Steady showing their sound, which has been there for enough time now that any long term fans will not be disappointed. The release itself should appeal to a pretty wide demographic – people interested in Rock, Punk and Indie should all find some easy common ground here, whether you are a long term devotee or they’re new to you. It’s strong enough that newcomers to The Hold Steady should find enough reason to look at their back catalogue while the aforementioned longer-term fans will appreciate this as a good return to form for a band that started out so promisingly.
- ‘Thrashing Thru The Passion’ is released on 16 August. You can get your copy HERE.
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