Brooklyn rockers The Hold Steady have today announced the release of their fifth album Heaven Is Whenever, the follow up to 2008′s Stay Positive.

The news comes shortly after former keyboardist Franz Nicolay announced he would be leaving the band.

The press release on the band’s official website reads:

“The album was produced by Dean Baltulonis, who engineered the band’s ‘Almost Killed Me’ and produced ‘Separation Sunday,’ and was recorded at Dreamland Recording Studios in Upstate NY and Wild Arctic Studios in Queens, NY, with mixing also happening at Wild Arctic.

Singer Craig Finn says ‘Heaven Is Whenever’ is about “embracing suffering and finding reward in our everyday lives.” Piano and keys take a backseat to guitar on the new record, which also gets production help from guitarist Tad Kubler.

Recorded in several smaller sessions spread out over a long period of time, the songs on ‘Heaven Is Whenever’ received the benefit of being tested on the band’s recent tours. As Finn says this allowed them to “see what was working and what wasn’t. I believe this record benefits from us working at a more deliberate pace.”

The album is due out on May 4th in the USA via Vagrant Records and a day earlier in Europe on Rough Trade.

The track list of Heaven Is Whenever is:

01. The Sweet Part of the City
02. Soft in the Center
03. The Weekenders
04. The Smidge
05. Rock Problems
06. We Can Get Together
07. Hurricane J
08. Barely Breathing
09. Our Whole Lives
10. A Slight Discomfort

The Hold Steady are also embarking on a tour encompassing much of North America in April and May, before heading to Europe in June. Dates are below.

April 2nd – Ardsley, NY, LIFE the place to be
April 3rd – New Haven, CT, Toad’s Place
April 5th – South Burlington, VT, Higher Ground
April 6th – Northampton, MA, Pearl Street
April 7th – Albany, NY, Linda Norris Auditorium
April 8th – Woodstock, NY, Bearsville Theater
April 9th – Jermyn, PA, Eleanor Rigby’s
April 10th – Syracuse, NY, The Westcott Theater
April 12th – Rochester, NY, The Club at Water Street Music Hall
April 13th – Cleveland, OH, Beachland Ballroom
April 14th – Pittsburgh, PA, Diesel Club Lounge
April 15th – Morgantown, WV, 123 Pleasant St.
April 16th – Harrisburg, PA, Appalachian Brewing Company
May 5th – Los Angeles, CA, El Rey Theatre
May 6th – San Francisco, CA, The Fillmore
May 29th – George, WA, Sasquatch Festival
June 12th – Newport, Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight Festival
June 14th – Paris, FR, Fleche D’Or
June 21st – Amsterdam, NL, Melkweg
June 22nd – London, UK, HMV Forum
Jun 26th – Manchester, UK, Academy 2