Partisan Records announces the release of Craig Finn's eagerly awaited new album, I Need A New War, arriving Friday, April 26. The third album in a trilogy (following 2015's Faith in the Future and 2017's We All Want The Same Things), I Need A New War once again sees Finn expertly chronicling our complex, often confusing, modern era, drawing deeply felt character studies about regular people trying to respond to extraordinary times, attempting to find connection whilst wondering how to keep pace with a world moving faster than they are. The LP further finds Finn focusing his lens on New York City - his home for the last 18 years.
"Going in, I saw this record as the third part of a trilogy," says Finn. "Thematically, this was the third group of songs that I had written about smaller moments -- people trying to stay afloat in modern times, attempting to find connection, achieving tiny triumphs and frustrating let downs in their day to day lives."
I Need A New War, Finn's fourth solo LP, was recorded throughout 2018 at The Isokon in Woodstock, NY with producer Josh Kaufman and engineer D. James Goodwin, both of whom teamed with Finn on his widely acclaimed previous solo releases. In addition, the album features musical contributions from many of his regular solo collaborators, including Kaufman, horn master Stuart Bogie (Antibalas), pianist Sam Kassirer, vocalists Annie Nero and Cassandra Jenkins, and drummer extraordinaire Joe Russo.
"Perhaps forward motion is everything," says Finn. "The characters in the songs on this record, and the last two, are trying to keep up and keep their heads above water. They succeed or they don't, but their stories are the tales of their attempts at pushing ahead. And so, with my own push forward, I feel lucky and excited to be sharing these songs and stories."
The first song from the new record premiered on NPR today and is available now on all DSPs. "Blankets is a song about someone who has never gotten over a past love, and goes searching for her. But time is running out," says Finn.
LISTEN TO "BLANKETS"
PRE-ORDER I NEED A NEW WAR
Beginning today, fans can pre-order I Need A New War in physical and digital formats. All orders through Finn's D2C store include a bonus digital EP featuring b-sides and alternate versions from the album. Other items exclusive to the store include: a one of a kind, signed hardcover lyric book (featuring lyrics to all songs from FITF, WAWTST, INANW and photos by Dan Monick), signed vinyl, an enamel pin set, and more.
Perhaps best known as the singer of The Hold Steady, Craig Finn is a Minnesota-bred singer-songwriter and guitarist based in New York City. With his highly descriptive lyrical style and a defining focus on narrative, Finn has crafted whole worlds for the people in his songs to exist within. After five critically acclaimed albums with The Hold Steady, 2012 saw Finn release his first solo album, Clear Heart Full Eyes, prompting The AV Club to write, "As a solo artist, Finn has created a new world of characters and songs...working in new sonic territory while still sounding like the same old storyteller obsessed with falls from grace and calls for redemption."
Largely written in the wake of his mother's death, Faith in the Future earned four stars from Rolling Stone and ultimately, a top 10 spot on American Songwriter's "Top 50 Albums of 2015." "It's time to pay attention to Craig Finn, who made his mark as the frontman with the Hold Steady - an infectious, Replacements-style rock act from New York - but really steps up on his own," wrote the Boston Globe. "Finn's second solo album is packed with songs rich in street intelligence and wry humor."
Finn's remarkable third solo album, We All Want The Same Things, proved one of the most acclaimed releases of 2017 with inclusion on a wide range of high-profile year-end lists. "God In Chicago," the extraordinary centerpiece track that gives the album its name, was ranked #1 by American Songwriter on its "Top 25 Songs of 2017," noting, "We expect strong characters and compelling stories from Craig Finn, whether he's recording solo or with The Hold Steady. We even expect beautiful details and excellent location scouting. But we didn't expect a song as powerful, as specific, as lived in, as beautiful, as insightful, as risky as 'God in Chicago.'" The Guardian, In a four-starred rave, hailed We All Want The Same Things as "a deeply personal work from a master storyteller," while Paste simply declared the LP "[Finn's] most self-assured album...The subtler sense of musical adventurism he has come to embrace on his own work, make these songs essential."
Finn celebrated We All Want The Same Things by touring extensively throughout 2017. Highlights included an acclaimed headlining trek backed by his live band, The Uptown Controllers, as well as solo living room tours of the U.S. and the U.K. Currently traveling on a European tour alongside Brian Fallon, Finn will support I Need A New War with a North American and European live schedule, with dates set to commence in June. For updates, please visit craigfinn.net/tour.
