Hold Steady fans won't have to wait much longer to hear Heaven Is Whenever, the band's mustache-free followup to Stay Positive. Craig Finn's said the provocatively titled album's about "embracing suffering and understanding its place in a joyful life," that "the lyrics speak a lot about struggle and reward.” Fairly general, but things get more specific on "Hurricane J," aka "Hurricane Jess," aka "Hurricane Jessie," aka a girl who's named after a storm not a saint, aka a girl who's "gonnacrash into the harbor this summer." Natural disasters as the people surrounding you. (Or the people you want surrounding you.) Of course, there are also good lines ("You’re a beautiful girl / And you’re a prettygood waitress / But Jessie, I don't think I'm the guy") and an anthemic chorus.
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Heaven Is Whenever is out 5/4 via Vagrant.
