Always Been

Always Been
Studio album by
Craig Finn
ReleasedApril 4, 2025 (2025-04-04)
StudiosBoulevard Recording, Hollywood One Cue, Burbank
Length44:12
LabelsTamarac Recordings, Thirty Tigers
ProducerAdam Granduciel
Craig Finn chronology
A Legacy of Rentals
(2022)		 Always Been
(2025)
Singles from Always Been
  1. "People of Substance"
    Released: January 24, 2025
  2. "Bethany"
    Released: February 28, 2025

Always Been is the sixth solo album by the American musician and the Hold Steady member Craig Finn, released on April 4, 2025 on Tamarac Recordings and Thirty Tigers.[1] Produced by Adam Granduciel, the album features the members of the War on Drugs backing Finn throughout.[1]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
MojoStarStarStarStar[2]
MusicOMHStarStarStarStar[3]
New Noise MagazineStarStarStarHalf star[4]
PopMatters6/10[5]
Record CollectorStarStarStarStar[6]
Spectrum Culture78/100%[7]

Writing for Mojo Magazine, Andrew Perry states that it "charts the fall and redemption of a clergyman lacking in faith, but such is the novelistic depth of Finn's fiction that there’s ample room for familiar blue-collar tropes (fiscal strife, domestic tension, drinking, upping sticks to start over), plus lashings of trademark Catholic guilt."[2] In a Paste Magazine review, Hayden Merrick wrote that the album "presents Finn’s most cohesive overarching story. Usually working with capsule standalone vignettes that connect thematically but not directly, he instead constructs an extended epic centered on an ex-reverend", noting that "What’s unique about Clayton compared to other Craig Finn-penned protagonists is that his protracted journey of self-improvement necessitates a rejection of the road", he concludes by saying that "Craig Finn gives us more hope than ever within Always Been's pages, but that hope only arrives after tragedy."[8]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Bethany"5:49
2."People of Substance"2:59
3."Crumbs"3:43
4."Luke & Leanna"3:30
5."The Man I've Always Been"4:07
6."Fletcher's"5:39
7."A Man Needs a Vacation"4:49
8."I Walk with a Cane"4:36
9."Clayton"3:55
10."Postcards"8:05
Total length:44:12

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Always Been
Chart (2025) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (Official Charts)[9]38
UK Americana Albums (Official Charts)[10]12
US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[11]47

References

  1. 1 2 Sacher, Andrew. "Notable Releases of the Week (4/4)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Perry, Andrew (May 2025). "Craig Finn – "Always Been"". Mojo.
  3. ↑ Murphy, John (April 4, 2025). "Craig Finn - Always Been | Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  4. ↑ Porter, John (April 4, 2025). "Album Review: Craig Finn - Always Been". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  5. ↑ Levine, Jeremy (March 31, 2025). "Craig Finn's Narrative Songwriting Doesn't Achieve Liftoff » PopMatters". www.popmatters.com. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  6. ↑ Harley, Kevin (April 18, 2025). "Craig Finn: Always Been". Record Collector.
  7. ↑ Hohenstatt, Ben (April 15, 2025). "Craig Finn: Always Been". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  8. ↑ Merrick, Hayden (April 3, 2025). "Craig Finn Ties it All Together on Always Been". Paste Magazine. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 11/4/2025 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Official Americana Albums Chart on 11/4/2025 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Craig Finn Chart History (Top Current Album Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
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