This was a wonderful surprise. I actually checked out The Hold Steady’s album before this last week off a random recommendation, which I enjoyed but didn’t stick with me too much. This was a slightly more streamlined sound - maybe a bit less individual but a really good display of everything it was going for. A lot of the tracks had this huge stadium rock atmosphere but still with that indie edge, like Bob Mould leading the E Street Band. It kicked off with so much energy and just kept that momentum going, with stellar songwriting throughout. The one low point for me was probably Chillout Tent, and the lyrics in general were a bit hit and miss. Still - a fantastic album and a band I’ll definitely be returning to