New from The Hold Steady: Stream ‘Heavy Covenant,’ from New LP ‘Open Door Policy’ Out 2/19

In early December, esteemed Brooklyn indie/rock band The Hold Steady dropped a new song, “Family Farm,” a preview of the band’s upcoming album due out Feb. 19.

Open Door Policy will be the eighth studio album from the band, fronted as always by Craig Finn.

Click here to pre-order Open Door Policy from our Rock Cellar Store.

On Friday, the Hold Steady kicked off the new year with another song from the record. Here’s “Heavy Covenant”:

Said Finn of the song in a statement:

“‘Heavy Covenant’ is a song about travel, technology, and human connection. 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.”

And here’s the aforementioned “Family Farm”:

More on the album, per a news release:

Recorded at The Clubhouse in Rhinebeck, NY with producer Josh Kaufman and engineer D. James Goodwin, OPEN DOOR POLICY marks the second LP by The Hold Steady to feature the band’s current six-piece lineup. Additional performers include Stuart Bogie and Jordan McLean on horns, Cassandra Jenkins and Annie Nero on backup vocals.

“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,” says Finn. “This album was written and almost entirely recorded before the pandemic started, but the songs and stories explore power, wealth, mental health, technology, capitalism, consumerism, and survival – issues which have compounded in 2020.”