It appears that your cart is currently empty
Order online or call us 01672 5111 06
Craig Finn - Always Been
Released 4th April 2025
SK says: 'With Lifter Puller and The Hold Steady, Craig Finn has long been one of contemporary rock's finest lyricists but his latest solo effort puts him in rarefied air. Immaculate production from The War on Drugs' Adam Granduciel drives a song suite that spins one album-long tragi-comic tale of lapsed Catholics, people of substance and people with substances.'
Craig Finn returns with Always Been, his first solo album since 2022. The album was produced by Finn's long time friend Adam Granduciel, the principal of The War on Drugs. Always Been is direct both in music and title. As Finn says, I've always been Craig Finn. From the opener Bethany, a moody piano-driven portrait with a distinctive Granduciel guitar solo, to the propulsion of the first single People of Substance, to the vivid storytelling and character development that has marked Finn's career, this record feels at once familiar and fresh.
Recorded throughout 2024 at One Cue Studio in Burbank, CA, Always Been features a host of musicians, including many of Granduciel's bandmates in The War on Drugs. Kathleen Edwards and Sam Fender provide guest vocals. The musical result is distinctive, purposeful, and commanding.
This is perhaps Finn's most narrative record yet. It tells the story of a man who becomes a clergyman despite a lack of faith. The songs detail his rise, fall, and eventual redemption, while also shining a light to sharply reveal the other characters that populate the world he moves through.
Always Been is Finn's sixth solo record and stands alongside his nine albums with The Hold Steady. With his last solo release, A Legacy of Rentals, receiving year-end accolades from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Aquarium Drunkard and more, Always Been arrives as an exciting next step for this prolific storyteller and songwriter.
Our shipping costs are calculated by weight at the checkout in line with Royal Mail guidelines and include the cost of both postage and packing.
UK
CD Standard - £2.00 (typically arrives in 2-4 business days)
CD Signed For - £3.00 (typically arrives in 2-4 business days)
Vinyl Standard - £3.99 (typically arrives in 2-4 business days)
Vinyl Signed For - £4.99 (typically arrives in 2-4 business days)
Medium Parcel - £9.00 (typically arrives in 2-4 business days)
Click and Collect - FREE (collection from the shop, please wait for us to confirm your order is available to collect)
We are currently only accepting orders from the UK, if you'd like to place an order from another territory please email us at sales@sound-knowledge.co.uk and we can come back to you with a shipping quote.
You Might Also Like
The Beths - Straight Line Was A Lie
Released 29th August 2025 SK says: 'Another corker from the peppy Kiwi indie quartet led by Liz S...
Released 29th August 2025 SK says: 'Another corker from the peppy Kiwi indie quartet led by Liz Stokes. 2022's Expert in a Dying Field pitched Stokes' witty, vulnerable songwriting against power pop guitar rhythms and irresistible vocal harmonies to stunning effect. Tackling similar themes here, there's a layer of subtle experimentation and a strong jangle influence that makes this one a different but just as sweet pleasure.' Written in Los Angeles and self- recorded in the band's hometown of...
£10.99 – £26.00
Released 22nd August 2025 SK says: 'After rescuing the lockdown summer with 2020's I Feel Alive, ...
Released 22nd August 2025 SK says: 'After rescuing the lockdown summer with 2020's I Feel Alive, Montreal's TOPS return with their first full-length since. There are elements of the sleek 80s pop members Marta Cikojevic and David Carriere explored on their excellent side project outing as Marci, but the album's stars are singer (and sometime flautist) Jane Penny and bassist Riley Fleck, who spearhead the tongue-in-cheek pivot to "evil TOPS" with icy, lovelorn vocals and rumbling low-end that ...
£11.99 – £25.00
Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band - New Threats F...
Released 25th July 2025 We're over the moon to announce that Ryan and his band will be returning ...
Released 25th July 2025 We're over the moon to announce that Ryan and his band will be returning to play live at the shop on Friday 22nd August from 6.30pm. 'Dancing On The Edge' was our unanimous Album of the Year last year and picked up huge acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork and Uncut and we can't wait for the new album. If you'd like to come along, pop a note in with your order. Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band— the project of Louisville-based visual artist, multi-instrumentalist and ...
£13.99 – £32.99
Cass McCombs - Interior Live Oak
Released 15th August 2025 Interior Live Oak draws from everything Cass has created over two decad...
Released 15th August 2025 Interior Live Oak draws from everything Cass has created over two decades of experimentation to cut through with a direct and clarifying light. Throughout, his attitude is hopeful, which may sound odd for someone who often sings about the more extreme aspects of modern life. Interior Live Oak, however, is the resolve of someone who has lived those extremes. Named after a tree species native to Northern California, the album sees McCombs incorporate the more economic...
£10.99 – £32.00