On Friday, The Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn announced his latest solo album A Legacy of Rentals, out May 20th via Positive Jams/Thirty Tigers, and shared its lead single “Messing with the Settings.” Now, he has revealed the song’s accompanying video and a summer tour with his band The Uptown Controllers.

A Legacy of Rentals follows a steady run of releases from the singer which includes The Hold Steady’s 2021 album Open Door Policy and his previous solo album, 2020’s All These Perfect Crosses. It was produced by longtime collaborator Josh Kaufman and features contributions from saxophonist Stuart Bogie, vocalist Cassandra Jenkins, and drummer Joe Russo.  Pre-orders are ongoing.

In the album’s announcement trailer, Finn said, “Eventually it comes down to memory: how we remember friends that are gone, places that have changed, major events that are part of our past. These songs are legends, memorials, incantations, affirmations, and prayers.” The clip mixes together elements of “Messing with the Settings,” which as the album’s opener, feels like the perfect definition of the project’s nostalgic tone. The reflective single utilizes pieces of memories and traces details to slowly form a moving eulogy to an old friend that had fallen out of touch.

Finn elaborated on the album’s inspiration in a statement. “The title A Legacy of Rentals acknowledges that we can never completely hold any of our possessions, and that our bodies are merely a temporary residence for our souls,” he said. “All moments are fleeting. After the destruction of the past few years, I believe that there is joy in each and every living action, however mundane… We all want to be remembered. We all want our time here to be consequential. In taking these daily actions, we engage in hope, and we guarantee our unique place in history.”

The new video for “Messing with the Settings” expands on the trailer’s collage of grainy roadside sights and Finn’s Brooklyn neighborhood haunts. The persistent presence of New York’s subway cars, packed with masked commuters in the heat of the pandemic, adds to the song’s pensive, mournful refrain of “Sundown it feels like I’m riding a train I’m not on.” Check out the stirring slideshow-style video below.

Finn also announced a handful of summer dates with his touring band The Uptown Controllers, and teased that more are coming soon; see the itinerary below. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 1st at 10:00 a.m. local time with all details on Finn’s website.

A Legacy of Rentals Artwork:

A Legacy of Rentals Tracklist:
01. Messing with the Settings
02. The Amarillo Kid
03. Birthdays
04. The Year We Fell Behind
05. Due to Depart
06. Curtis & Shepard
07. Never Any Horses
08. Jessamine
09. A Break from the Barrage
10. This Is What It Looks Like

Craig Finn & The Uptown Controllers 2022 Tour Dates:
06/28 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
06/29 – Evanston, IL @ SPACE
06/30 – Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
07/01 – Davenport, IA @ The Raccoon Motel