A band who upheld the values and integrity of indie and punk rock, the Hold Steady were not afraid to embrace rock classicism, fusing the bar band vigor of the Replacements with the epic-scale musical backdrops of Bruce Springsteen while vocalist Craig Finn spilled out stories that were as impassioned as they were unpretentiously literate. Though they never had a massive hit, they attracted a fervently dedicated following who embraced the beery, anthemic style of their debut album, 2004's Almost Killed Me. They refined their music and lyrical stance while increasing their guitar presence on 2014's ambitious Teeth Dreams and they explored an alienated culture with a near-operatic sweep on 2021's Open Door Policy and 2023's The Price of Progress.