New Hold Steady Record, Heaven is Whenever Announced, Out 5/4

The Hold Steady @ Virgin Fest 2009, originally uploaded by BetweenLoveandLike.

Woot!! New Hold Steady record to be titled Heaven Is Whenever, is out 5/4 on Vagrant Records.

The Hold Steady recently put the finishing touches on Heaven Is Whenever, their new album set for release May 4th on Vagrant Records and May 3rd on Rough Trade in the UK and EU. The album was produced by Dean Baltulonis, who engineered the band’s Almost Killed Me and produced Separation Sunday,, and was recorded at Dreamland Recording Studios in Upstate NY and Wild Arctic Studios in Queens, NY.

Singer Craig Finn says Heaven Is Whenever, is about “embracing suffering and finding reward in our everyday lives.” Piano and keys take a backseat to guitar on the new record, which also gets production help from guitarist Tad Kubler.

Recorded in several smaller sessions spread out over a long period of time, the songs on Heaven Is Whenever, received the benefit of being tested on the band’s recent tours. As Finn says this allowed them to “see what was working and what wasn’t. I believe this record benefits from us working at a more deliberate pace.”

Tracklist:
1 The Sweet Part of the City
2 Soft in the Center
3 The Weekenders
4 The Smidge
5 Rock Problems
6 We Can Get Together
7 Hurricane J
8 Barely Breathing
9 Our Whole Lives
10 A Slight Discomfort

Give a Listen: Our Whole Lives-The Hold Steady (live, 930 Club, Washington, DC, 8-29-09)
Buy here (Available 5/4)

The Hold Steady Spring 2010 Tour Dates
April 2nd: LIFE the place to be, Ardsley, NY
April 3rd: Toad’s Place, New Haven, CT
April 5th: Higher Ground, South Burlington, VT
April 6th: Pearl Street, Northampton, MA
April 7th: Linda Norris Auditorium, Albany, NY
April 8th: Bearsville Theater, Woodstock, NY
April 9th: Eleanor Rigby’s, Jermyn, PA
April 10th: The Westcott Theater, Syracuse, NY
April 12th: The Club at Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, NY
April 13th: Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
April 14th: Diesel Club Lounge, Pittsburgh, PA
April 15th: 123 Pleasant St., Morgantown, WV
April 16th: Appalachian Brewing Company, Harrisburg, PA
May 5th: El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
May 6th: The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
May 29th: Sasquatch Festival, George, WA
June 12th: Isle of Wight Isle of Wight Festival, UK
June 14th: Fleche D’Or, Paris, FR
June 21st: Melkeg, Amsterdam, NL
June 22nd: HMV Forum, London. UK
Jun 26th: Academy 2, Manchester, UK