After he made his name as the exuberant frontman for The Hold Steady, Craig Finn’s songwriting as a solo artist naturally had to turn in a more somber direction. The stories that Finn sings in The Hold Steady are propelled by the band’s energy, particularly his songwriting counterpart and guitarist Tad Kubler. Here, as on 2012’s Clear Heart Full Eyes, the pacing rests entirely with Finn, and the words truly take over.
Finn’s solo songs are outside the world and the mythology of The Hold Steady, and with that freedom, his lyrics mostly do away with the killer parties and massive nights. Recorded with producer Josh Kaufman in Woodstock, the music here is more folk than rock, and though he remains as detail oriented as ever, Finn’s songwriting takes a different character and tone. He arranges details in the quiet spaces, and the turns of phrase that might get drowned out by louder songs resonate powerfully.
The subject matter from the 44-year-old Finn is more adult, darker, and weary, shaded with the burden of bigger consequences. But where the vignette songs on Clear Heart carved out more of their own territory, the songs on Faith In The Future hang closer together, pivoting around common themes. The clearest and steadiest involve loss, sorrow, and perseverance, but there’s also a thread of searching for meaning, or more precisely, some confirmation that what’s been clung to all along is truly what’s important. The title responds to all that with a dose of comforting, long-view optimism that stands as strong as any doubts.