REVIEW: The Darkness - Dreams On Toast

Behemoths of rock'n'roll The Darkness are back with their highly anticipated eighth studio album. Promising their well known flair for the dramatics, uptempo rock beats and a sprinkle of ridiculousness, Dreams On Toast could well be be their best album to date.

Bringing to the forefront exactly who The Darkness are, ‘Rock and Roll Party Cowboy’, is the perfect reintroduction into everything these icons of British rock stand for. Exhibiting their aptitude for the farcical, ‘Rock and Roll Party Cowboy’ is four and half minutes of the perfect 80s classic rock rift behind incredibly comical lyrics. Any listeners experiencing The Darkness for the first time will automatically have their vibes on lock from this brilliant album opener.

Feeding straight into ‘I Hate Myself’, the second track on the album which resembles the sounds of the 70s mixed with a small dusting of ska, thanks to the impeccable use of the saxophone. Sounding like it could be lifted straight from A Night At The Opera by Queen, ‘I Hate Myself’ showcases the Hawkins' brothers ability to write a unhappy refrain with an old fashioned melody and make it into a hit so catchy it will have you dancing alone round your bedroom.

Sticking to the 70s aesthetic, ‘The Longest Kiss’, track six of the album is the brainchild of old school The Darkness, and yet another classic rock influence, ELO. One of the shorter tracks on Dream On Toast, ‘The Longest Kiss’ packs a serious punch. Think 2000’s rom-com montage music, with bluesy guitar and a heavy drum beat. It perfectly encapsulates the reason The Darkness have been at the top of their game since 2003, they can seamlessly blend multiple genres of music all the while making it sound original, and unique to them. 

Being on the top of their game for so long, allows The Darkness to have a sense of musical superiority when it comes to marketing the album. Frontman and all round diva (in the best sense of the word) Justin Hawkins described this album by saying “we popped out a dozen bangers before lunch. And these bangers we present to you here.” This attitude is carried on into ‘Walking Through Fire’. A more authentic sound than the rest of the album, showcasing their prowess, Hawkins sings “we’re only doing this cause it’s fun, don’t even think my mum bought the last one”, once again proving that The Darkness make music just because they love it, and in no other song is that more evident than ‘Walking Through Fire.’

Some would say that after seven studio albums, a band may start to lose their sparkle. But more than 20 years after The Darkness burst onto the British rock scene, they have once again donned their bedazzled catsuits and produced a belter of an album. The Darkness have been showcasing the sheer amount of fun this album brings to fans all across the UK on their Dreams On Toast tour, and the fun only promises to continue with Justin Hawkins taking to the District X stage at Download Festival in July. 

Score: 8/10

Dreams On Toast was released on March 28th via Cooking Vinyl.

Words: Emily Bancroft

Photo: Simon Emmet