Craig Finn has released “Birthdays,” the second song from the eagerly awaited new album, A LEGACY OF RENTALS, available now at all DSPs and streaming services. An official visualizer premieres today via YouTube.
The Hold Steady frontman’s fifth solo LP, A LEGACY OF RENTALS arrives on CD and digital download via Positive Jams/Thirty Tigers on Friday, May 20. Recorded in May 2021 with Finn’s longtime collaborators, producer Josh Kaufman and engineer D. James Goodwin, the album will be available in several formats, including CD, standard vinyl, and limited-edition white vinyl (online orders only). Pre-orders and pre-saves are available now.
“Producer Josh Kaufman and I decided early on to feature strings on this record,” Finn says, “as opposed to the wind and brass heavy compositions of the last three albums. But when we came to this song we kept hearing Stuart Bogie’s saxophone, so we got him to do this solo and he crushed it. We thought it suggests a bit of a bridge back to my previous records. This song is about family, the way we honor these connections, and how both positive and negative things are carried through blood lines – genetic traits as long-term memories. Coincidentally, it was recorded on Josh’s actual birthday.”
A LEGACY OF RENTALS was previously heralded by the first song, “Messing With The Settings,” available now at all DSPs and streaming services. An exclusive album trailer is also available now. Stereogum said the song was “graceful and meditative,” while American Songwriter hailed its "poignant storytelling.” NPR called the song “overwhelmingly powerful.”
WATCH "MESSING WITH THE SETTINGS" VISUALIZER LISTEN TO “MESSING WITH THE SETTINGS” WATCH A LEGACY OF RENTALS ALBUM TRAILER
Finn will celebrate A LEGACY OF RENTALS on an upcoming live run, backed by his live band, The Uptown Controllers, and getting underway June 28 at St. Paul, MN’s Turf Club. Additional dates will be announced soon. For updates, please visit craigfinn.net/tour.
CRAIG FINN AND THE UPTOWN CONTROLLERS
LIVE 2022
JUNE
28 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club
29 – Evanston, IL – SPACE
30 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest @ Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard
JULY
1 – Davenport, IA – The Raccoon Motel
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A LEGACY OF RENTALS sees Finn exploring memory – how we remember our loved ones, the places in our lives that have changed, and recent events that are part of our pasts. Written over the course of 2020, the album explores the line between song and straight storytelling, with contributions from frequent musical partners including saxophonist Stuart Bogie, backing vocalists Cassandra Jenkins and Annie Nero, and the rhythm section of Joe Russo (drums) and Michael Libramento (bass). It also features a 14-piece string section arranged and recorded by Trey Pollard at Spacebomb bringing a drama and grandiose elegance that sets the album apart from anything in Finn’s previous body of work.
“The title A LEGACY OF RENTALS acknowledges that we can never completely hold any of our possessions,” Finn says, “and that our bodies are merely a temporary residence for our souls. All moments are fleeting. After the destruction of the past few years, I believe that there is joy in each and every living action, however mundane – walking to the kitchen, missing a train, spilling coffee, cleaning it up, meeting a friend for a meal. We all want to be remembered. We all want our time here to be consequential. In taking these daily actions, we engage in hope, and we guarantee our unique place in history.”
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CRAIG FINN
A LEGACY OF RENTALS
(Positive Jams/Thirty Tigers)
Release Date: Friday, May 20
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