“We’re a guitar band.” That’s how Tad Kubler, lead guitarist and songwriter for The Hold Steady, describes the current incarnation of the now 10-year-old act. That statement wouldn’t seem like much when the band formed, but now, it’s downright radical. To paraphrase LCD Soundsystem (an act that brilliantly commented on and bridged the gap between rock and dance music) mastermind James Murphy, musicians today are selling their guitars and buying synthesizers. Looking at some of the buzziest artists of the past few years—Chvrches, Disclosure, Lorde, Grimes—it’s clear that we’re entering the electronic age.

That’s certainly not a bad thing as many of these artists are pushing music in new and exciting directions, but it’s become increasingly difficult to find honest-to-goodness rock ’n’ roll bands. And The Hold Steady is among our very best.

Pairing big, bawdy riffs with lead singer Craig Finn’s grizzled, barfly poetry, it’s produced some of the best albums of the past decade by hearkening back to rock’s storied past—arena and punk rock in particular. In the process, it’s paved the way for some of our brightest young rock bands, including Titus Andronicus and Japandroids.

Running against the currents of cultural change hasn’t come at the expense of creative growth. After two endearingly raw albums, things took a turn for the melodic on its breakthrough record, 2006’s “Boys and Girls in America.”

But pianist Franz Nicolay left after “Boys and Girls” follow-up “Stay Positive,” prompting the band to add another guitarist (Steve Selvidge) after 2010’s “Heaven Is Whenever.” Referring to the band’s evolving style—particularly on its new album, “Teeth Dreams”—Kubler revealed, “We’re always trying to be more musical,” and added, “It’s just us growing as a band, and me growing as a songwriter, and Craig [Finn] growing as a singer and a lyricist and things continuing to evolve.”

Beyond giving the band a more muscular presence for its already outstanding live show, Selvidge proved a good fit in the studio. “I would come in with something, and he would immediately do something that complemented really well,” Kubler remarked. “In fact, it wasn’t until we probably got halfway through recording the record that I realized I hadn’t done a record with Steve [Selvidge] before.”

The nearly four-year break between “Heaven Is Whenever” and “Teeth Dreams” (due to be released March 25) was the longest of the band’s career, allowing members to recharge after a frenetic six years of constant touring and recording. This time around, Kubler didn’t want to rush the songwriting process, and his patience paid off. “I definitely saw on the last record, everybody wasn’t on the same page, and we waited on this one until everybody was on the same page,” he said. He went so far as to say that “Teeth Dreams” is “the best record we’ve made” and that he’s “excited for people to hear it.”

Along with the additional writing time, “Teeth Dreams” benefitted from a new producer (Nick Raskulinecz) and label (Razor & Tie imprint Washington Square). With regard to Raskulinecz, Kubler was excited by the opportunity to work with an outside voice who was unfamiliar with the band’s previous output. “He didn’t have any expectations…part of what can really be a killer for the creative process are these expectations that you can put on yourself, and Nick [Raskulinecz]…doesn’t have any expectations except making a great f—— record. And I thought that was exactly what we needed.”

The new label also “helped the album immensely,” being both geographically convenient (both Kubler and Razor & Tie are situated in New York City) and enthusiastic about the band. “Razor & Tie has a track record of really being able to reach people, and I think that’s what we needed more than anything else,” Kubler remarked. “It was kind of an easy choice to make. There wasn’t a falling out [with previous label Vagrant]…it was just time for us to try something else.”

It’s that lack of complacency that allows The Hold Steady to thrive 10 years later. Kubler distilled the band’s ethos best when discussing his hopes for the future: “I hope we continue to grow and progress and evolve, and that’s why we’re still a band, because what we do is still relevant or important or exciting.”

The Hold Steady returns to St. Louis with a sold-out show this Thursday at Off Broadway.