Craig Finn gives Kyle Meredith a shout to discuss what’s being called The Hold Steady’s comeback record, Thrashing Thru the Passion. We hear about the characters that populate the LP, their relation to our own current events, and how they compare to the ones Finn wrote about on this year’s solo album, I Need A New War. There’s also some fun with spotting lyrics that reference older songs and having what Finn calls “the best lineup yet” with the return of Franz Nicolay.

Listen to the interview above and then check out the videos below.