For close to a decade, the Chicago, IL-based The Steepwater Band have quietly developed a reputation as a heavy, blues band, continuing that city’s great tradition for blues and rock. And interestingly, 2015 will mark the release of Diamond Days: The Best of the Steepwater Band 2006-2014, a retrospective compilation that will include eight remastered tracks and a new single “Silver Lining,” which will reportedly not only offer a taste of the band’s latest creative direction but will also mark the first recorded output with their newest member Eric Saylors.

The first single from the compilation is a re-recorded re-working of one of their fan favorites, the twangy, country blues track “Hard As A Stone.” As the band’s Jeff Massey (vocals and guitar) said in an interview with the folks at Relix about the song, “Lyrically, its about dealing with loss, whether it be a relationship, a death, or just rolling with change, in general.” And considering the lyrical content paired with the song’s arrangement, the song manages to naturally be wistfully contemplative and yet balances a hopeful realism. In many ways the song seems to say “life will break your heart but life will also push you forward towards the things you’ll need.” With another year ahead of us, that’s probably the truest and most adult thing I’ve heard in some time.