The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls In America

For some fans, listening to the Hold Steady can become a bit of an obsession. They have recurring characters and themes across their albums. as well as a litany of references to other bands, movies and scenes you’ve never heard of. For this reason they are deservedly loved by critics. But it’s not for any of these reasons that Boys and Girls is a great album. It may be described as pub rock but there are great tunes here and some fantastic lines as well that go deep beneath the surface. And when the surface is this great, it takes you a while to get there. (Pete Hurst)