Album News
The Hold Steady Share “Sideways Skull” off New Album ‘The Price of Progress’
The Hold Steady have announced the release of their ninth studio album, ‘The Price of Progress,’ and debuted the lead single, “Sideways Skull.”

The Hold Steady have announced the release of their ninth studio album, The Price of Progress, arriving everywhere on the band’s Positive Jams label via Thirty Tigers on Friday, March 31, 2023. It will be available digitally as well as on CD, standard black vinyl, translucent green-coloured vinyl (band store), metallic gold (indie-retail), metallic silver (Vinyl Me, Please), and white (Rough Trade). The Price of Progress is heralded by today’s premiere of the first song, “Sideways Skull,” available now at all DSPs and streaming services.
Frontman Craig Finn comments on the single:
“‘Sideways Skull’ is a rocking song about rock and rollers. In this case, they’ve been taken out of the game for a bit of rest, but still keep their dreams alive as they discuss past glories. We loved the big sound of this when Tad Kubler brought it into the band, and the studio performance of it felt especially joyful. We’re happy to put this forth as a first look at The Price of Progress, and the album’s title even comes from this song.”
The Hold Steady will celebrate The Price of Progress with a wide-ranging live schedule, beginning with a performance at Music Hall of Williamsburg on January 28. This will be a special event, with the show taking place exactly 20 years after the band’s first live performance on the same site (then North Six). Two Dark Birds will be the special opener at Music Hall, harkening back to the January 2003 show where The Hold Steady opened for Two Dark Birds’ Steve Koester at North Six.
The Price of Progress Track Listing:
1. Grand Junction
2. Sideways Skull
3. Carlos Is Crying
4. Understudies
5. Sixers
6. The Birdwatchers
7. City At Eleven
8. Perdido
9. Distortions of Faith
10. Flyover Halftime
2023 Show Dates:
1/28 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg (Official 20th Anniversary Show) #
2/2 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar ^
2/3 – Washington, DC – Black Cat ^
2/4 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl ^l
3/10 – London, UK – Electric Ballroom *
3/11 – London, UK – Electric Ballroom *
3/12 – London, UK – Colours Hoxton * (SOLD OUT)
5/12 – New York, NY – WFUV Highline Bash
6/30 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed †
7/1 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed † (SOLD OUT)
7/2 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
11/29-30 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl **
12/1–2 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl **
# w/ special guest Two Dark Birds
^ w/ special guests Friendship
* The Weekender 2023
† w/ special guests The Mountain Goats and Dillinger Four
** Massive Nights 2023
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