Dave Rowlinson

It might not quite touch the white-hot fury of the first three albums, but it’s honestly the best – the most alive – they’ve sounded in years.

...But, for all those generous nods to the Hold Steady’s beloved motifs, Craig Finn’s made a glorious solo record that sounds nothing like his regular band and, more so, doesn’t leave us kinda wishing it did.

If, like me, you consider steel drums to be the most joyful instrument on the planet, then you’ll probably concur that Roberto Carlos Lange’s ability to make them resonate with sweet melancholia on ‘Imagining What To Do’ neatly sums up the rich and sumptuous experience of This Is How You Smile.