The Hold Steady – “Understudies”

Shervin Lainez

The Hold Steady – “Understudies”

Shervin Lainez

The Hold Steady are a few weeks away from releasing their ninth studio album, The Price Of Progress. They’ve shared two singles from it so far, “Sideways Skull” and “Steady Sixers,” and here comes a third, “Understudies.”

“This is sonically a leap from any song on the previous eight THS records,” Craig Finn boasted in a statement. “Franz brought this idea in and it went to a lot of cool places. I remember walking into the control room to see Galen and producer Josh Kaufman working on the panned bass part that comes in on the last verse. I was surprised and wildly excited by it. We all were.”

“The story here: an actor is restless after his performance,” Finn continued. “He and a fellow crew member disappear into the night trying to find something to help them sleep. The next day neither of them can be reached, and the director is scrambling for a replacement.” Check it out below.

The Price Of Progress is out 3/31 on the Hold Steady’s own Positive Jams label.

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