The Price of Progress

The Price of Progress is the ninth studio album by the American indie rock band the Hold Steady. Released on March 31, 2023, by Positive Jams/Thirty Tigers, the album received generally positive reviews from critics.

Reception
Editors at AnyDecentMusic? rated this release a 7.4 out of 10, based on 10 reviews. The Price of Progress received positive reviews from critics noted at review aggregator Metacritic. It has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 12 reviews.

Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Mark Deming writing that this album shares continuity with 2021's Open Door Policy as well as the band's signature "anthemic tunes married to dense, character-driven lyrics". Robin Murray of Clash Music complains that "anyone who has ever heard a Hold Steady song knows exactly what to expect from this record" and that the music "doesn’t catch fire at any point", summing it up as "a perfectly functional Hold Steady record, no more and no less" with a rating of 6 out of 10. Glide Magazine's Shawn Donohue writes that "each of these songs plays as musical flushed-out tales of joy, hope, and bleakness swirl together" and "the band is fully locked in as they deliver an evolved, cinematic offering of their barroom tales of relationship hardships around broken hearts calcified by more than recreational drug use". Writing for The Line of Best Fit, Simon Heavisides gave this release an 8 out of 10, describing the album as "cinematic" and praising vocalist Craig Finn's delivery and lyrics.

Editors at Paste chose this as one of the 10 best albums of the month, and critic Eric R. Danton called it "their most musically expansive effort" in his 7.9-out-of-10 review. Pitchfork Media's Stephen M. Deusner gave this release a 7.6 out of 10 for having "songs about desperation with no direction, alienation with no reconciliation, isolation in a crowded bar". At PopMatters, Chris Conaton rated The Price of Progress a 7 out of 10, calling it "a worthy addition to the Hold Steady’s now-hefty catalog". In Slant Magazine Jeremy Winograd gave this album 4 out of 5 stars and writes that this album "proves that they haven’t forgotten what made them great". Atari of Sputnikmusic rates this album a 3.9 out of 5, calling it "a joyous, no-frills rocker that reminds you why you fell in love with The Hold Steady in the first place", but also critiquing that "there are also several moments on The Price of Progress that don’t quite land". In Under the Radar, Hays Davis gives this album a 7.5 out of 10, writing "The Hold Steady is hardly a restrictive creative framework, while The Price of Progress reminds longtime fans why they continue to look forward to each album".

Editors at AllMusic included this on their list of favorite rock albums of 2023.

Track listing

 * 1) "Grand Junction" – 3:34
 * 2) "Sideways Skull" – 4:04
 * 3) "Carlos Is Crying" – 3:46
 * 4) "Understudies" – 3:57
 * 5) "Sixers" (Craig Finn) – 4:15
 * 6) "The Birdwatchers" – 4:15
 * 7) "City at Eleven" – 2:49
 * 8) "Perdido" – 3:42
 * 9) "Distortions of Faith" – 5:16
 * 10) "Flyover Halftime" – 3:14

Personnel
The Hold Steady
 * Bobby Drake – drums
 * Craig Finn – vocals
 * Tad Kubler – lead guitar, backing vocals
 * Galen Polivka – bass guitar
 * Franz Nicolay – keyboards
 * Steve Selvidge – rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Additional personnel
 * Anna Bishop – violin
 * Stuart Bogie – horn
 * Jeff Citron – engineering
 * Curtis Fye – engineering
 * Dave Gardner – mastering at Infrasonic Sound, Angelino Heights, Los Angeles, California, United States
 * Treesa Gold	String – violin, conducting
 * D. James Goodwin – engineer, mixing at The Isokon, Woodstock, New York, United States
 * Peter Greydanus – cello
 * Cassandra Jenkins – backing vocals
 * Josh Kaufman – production
 * Stacy Matthews – violin
 * Jordan McLean – horn
 * Shubham Mondal – assistant engineering
 * Matt Moran – vibraphone
 * Annie Nero – backing vocals
 * Trey Pollard – conducting, string arrangement
 * Quinn Price – violin
 * Ellen Riccio – violin
 * Kimberly Ryan – viola
 * Molly Sharp – viola
 * Alec Soth – photography
 * Delaney Turner – violin
 * Hyojoo Uh – viola
 * Vance Wellenstein – design