Two years ago, great American rock band the Hold Steady released their album Open Door Policy, and it fucking ruled. The Hold Steady aren’t the hard-touring beast that they once were, but they still play transformative live shows, and they seem to be clicking into a nice rhythm lately. In the time since Open Door Policy, frontman Craig Finn released his solo LP A Legacy Of Rentals, and now the Hold Steady are once again returning with a new LP. If the first single is any indication, we should get ready for another ripper.

The next Hold Steady album is called The Price Of Progress, and the band recorded it with Bonny Light Horseman leader and Taylor Swift collaborator Josh Kaufman, who also produced Open Door Policy. The first single is a big, meaty rocker called “Sideways Skull.” The band has played this one live before, and it’s all about a bunch of fuckups dreaming of rock-star glory: “She said we’re gonna do a show at the Pyramids/ She said she needs to take a call from her lawyers/ Introduced me to the dudes that she’s calling her crew/ An assortment of sad self-destroyers.” The backup vocals make me think of Bob Seger. Below, listen to “Sideways Skull” and check out the tracklist for The Price Of Progress.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Grand Junction”
02 “Sideways Skull”
03 “Carlos Is Crying”
04 “Understudies”
05 “Sixers”
06 “The Birdwatchers”
07 “City At Eleven”
08 “Perdido”
09 “Distortions Of Faith”
10 “Flyover Halftime”

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