All hail the return of The Darkness as they unleash their eighth studio album Dreams On Toast, via Cooking Vinyl, March 28th, 2025. In a way they’ve always reminded me of a more modern Sparks, featuring brothers Ron and Russell Mael and strangely enough there are two brothers in the Darkness, Justin Hawkins and the album was produced by Dan Hawkins.
‘Rock And Roll Party Cowboy’ has a ‘Bad Motor Scooter’ like intro, a massive main riff, taking the mick with a refrain of “Rock And Roll Cowboy and I ain’t gonna read no Tolstoy”
‘I Hate Myself’ is a major rager of headbanging ferocity. Choruses are bonkers that include saxophone to Justin Hawkins’ helium fuelled vocals.
‘Hot On My Tail’ has lyrics so near the knuckle it’ll get the Woke brigade tied up in knots. This little ditty is Country And Western tinged, so insane it should be in a straitjacket!
‘Mortal Dread’ wears its AC/DC influences with pride, hitting the high voltage switch for air guitaring bad boy boogie, backed by piano and doo wop handclaps.
‘Don’t Need Sunshine’ took a few plays before I stopped laughing at this party starting and finishing ludicrous, in a good way look at the amount of crap that clutters our lives up.
‘The Longest Kiss’ is a whimsical jaunt, akin to ’39’ by Queen for a ballad with balls, closing on a guitar laden freak out.
‘The Battle For Gadget Land’ is punk rock pogo driven, short but still razor sharp for the heaviest song here.
‘Cold Hearted Woman’ is another hoedown, breezing along on a bittersweet vocal, backed by banjo and near the knuckle vocals.
‘Walking Through Fire’ shows their conviction in what they do best with choruses of “I can’t help falling in love with rock and roll”, releasing albums. “Hair and make-up, reluctantly here we go , waste another precious days shooting yet another shitty video”.
Final track, ‘Weekend In Rome’, a song so frail it could fall apart at any moment when a spoken word piece turns into a Royal Albert Hall outro of pomp and circumstance.
Review by Dennis Jarman
