The Darkness' 'Dreams on Toast' - Album Review

Whilst the British rockers The Darkness perhaps never quite managed to capitalise on how big they could have been by crashing and burning not long after releasing their second album One Way Ticket to Hell...and Back in 2005, since reforming in 2011 the four-piece have been a consistent and ever-present force on the rock scene - finding success both at home and abroad. Their tour supporting One Way Ticket to Hell...and Back was likely one of the biggest arena spectacles at the time, when such was not really the norm and the British rock scene was in something of a slump, and it is a shame that the band's tongue-in-cheek homage to Queen and AC/DC was only in the national spotlight for such a brief moment. Misadventure put paid to true greatness, then, but The Darkness have still had a very strong career - regularly filling large theatres here in the UK and elsewhere, whilst releasing new albums at a fairly regular rate. That being said, though, before last month it had been quite a while since The Darkness released anything new. The band had essentially released an album every two years since 2015, with their comeback album Hot Cakes dropping three years before in 2012, so there seemed to always be a steady stream of new material coming from them. Before last month, though, the band last released an album in 2021 - when the excellent Motorheart (which I reviewed here) came out. I have enjoyed all of the band's albums to a greater or lesser extent - but I do think that their original two releases: 2003's Permission to Land and the aforementioned One Way Ticket to Hell...and Back; are their best. It must have been hard for the band to recapture that early energy once reforming - but there has been a lot of excellent stuff released since, with Motorheart perhaps the best of the bunch. The songs just all felt much more memorable and hard rocking overall - with the band's trademark humour and carefree attitude well-balanced with strong songwriting and riffing. Four years on from Motorheart, something of a career highlight, then, the band released Dreams on Toast, their eighth album, last month. In truth, given how many great albums have come out recently, Dreams on Toast was not really one I was paying any real attention to. I pre-ordered it a a while back, but I did not pay it any mind until it turned up. I had not heard any of the singles before it dropped so I was not really sure what to expect - with my only opinion being that I thought the album title was awful. I have lived with this album for a couple of weeks, now, and I am still not really sure what to make of it. It has grown on me somewhat but, at this stage, it is likely my least favourite album from The Darkness. I think my main issue with this album is that it just does not rock all that hard. The band have always been more than just a meat and potatoes hard rock band, but it does form the basis of their core sound - and this album feels more whimsical, folky, and just generally strange. Frontman Justin Hawkins' humour does not always land, but generally he manages to make his point, so a few of the ideas fall somewhat flat. It is certainly the band's most varied album sound-wise, and it is well-produced, but songwriting-wise I think it leaves a bit to be desired.

The opening number Rock and Roll Party Cowboy somewhat sums up some of my concerns. It is one of the album's harder rocking pieces, which ensures a strong groove and an infectious riff from the off, but lyrically it is really stupid. I understand that it is supposed to be a parody of tropey songs about being in a band and rock music in general - but the lyrics are so clunky that they come across like they are being delivered by an awkward uncle after a few drinks. I suppose Justin is 50 now, so perhaps this is somewhat fitting and in-character - but he is often much wittier than he is here. Despite this, though, the song is not terrible. The main riff and the lumpen, AC/DC-esque groove are pretty hooky - with the crunchy guitar tones from Justin and Dan Hawkins helping to bring the song to life. The verses are quite straight ahead, then, with the rhythm section simply grinding away whilst Justin delivers the lyrics in a semi-spoken and deeper delivery than is typical - with the chorus being a bit more typical with powerful gang vocals and a bit more of anthemic feel. There is plenty to enjoy here, then, despite the rhythmic groove perhaps being the most AC/DC-esque moment in the band's canon yet - I just struggle to get past some of the silly lyrics. I know that The Darkness are not a band to take seriously, but there is still a line in the sand somewhere - and these lyrics cross it. I Hate Myself is better, though, and it feels like something of a high-energy old-school Darkness number. Funnily enough, then, it the only song here not written by the band - as it was put together by Justin and a bunch of British rock session players including his former Hot Leg bandmate Darby Todd and Take That sideman Lee Pomeroy. Despite this committee of songwriters, the track is a high-octane rocker built around a Status Quo-esque boogie riff - but there is enough of The Darkness' usual bombast to keep the track feeling in-keeping. Justin sings in his more typical manner here, with lots of falsetto and high-pitched screams - with the chorus is in particular being a standout of the album thanks to the vocal harmonies throughout. There is also what sounds like a saxophone utilised throughout, but as no-one is credited with playing one then it perhaps instead something of a parpy synth. Boogie piano and a big guitar solo are also thrown in, and the track is a strong effort. Hot on My Tail is more acoustic based, and it is the first number here which feels much more whimsical. There are a few more numbers like this to follow - and, for me, the balance of the album overall is weighted too heavily in their favour. The song itself is not bad, with a strong walking bassline from Frankie Poullain to counter the jaunty acoustic guitars and shuffling drums - whilst Justin delivers a strong vocal performance over the top with something of the old-school Song-and-Dance-Men about his delivery and carefree attitude. As such, it feels a bit old-fashioned and throwaway as a result - and the tacky piano solo which comes in later does not help.

Mortal Dread is a stronger effort - and it is the first meat and potatoes hard rocker since the opening cut. There is another strong AC/DC-esque groove throughout, with Poullain's bass really grounding everything, whilst a bluesy mid-paced riff and the occasional lead interjection add quite a lot of character. The band have written a number of songs like this before, and have done this style better, but there is still a lot to like. The chorus is typical Darkness, with an anthemic feel and some falsetto vocals, whilst the guitar leads and soloing is kept a minimum to allow their inclusions to feel tasteful. There is another strange piano-led breakdown, though, which seems to be a theme here so far, but overall the song is just a decent guitar-led rocker which plenty of groove - and this is a song where Justin's humour has landed I think, which helps. Don't Need Sunshine is another more whimsical piece, but of all the slower and more stripped back pieces it feels like my favourite. The song is more piano-based rather than containing a lot of acoustic guitar, which helps, and there are lots of strong Queenisms as a result. The dominant piano chords and the occasional thin-sounding guitar lead pay homage to Queen a lot - and Justin generally sings in a floatier and more high-pitched manner throughout which only furthers this overall vibe. Perhaps the song's biggest plus, though, is its chorus. It is not bombastic or all that rocking, but the melodies and the layers of vocal harmonies are really well crafted - and the big sound created really allows Dan's production of the album to shine. The Queenisms continue throughout the jaunty The Longest Kiss - but this time the song feels like one of those shorter, Music Hall-type pieces that Queen used to throw in on their early albums to break up the harder rockers. That side of Queen was never my favourite, but at least those songs tended to be short, perhaps only a minute or so long, whereas this is a full song. As such, I feel that it outstays its welcome somewhat. The vibe is certainly upbeat and I can see what the band are trying to do, plus the guitar solo in the middle is excellent, but this much kitsch in one go is a bit too much for me. The Battle for Gadget Land returns to a harder rocking sound, but the song's overall arrangement is a bit different from the norm. The guitar tones used throughout are strange, almost giving some of the guitar leads something of an industrial sound, whilst the rhythms are quite dry - which gives the verses a strange, hollow feel with plenty of bass and some frantic drummer from Rufus Tiger Taylor. Large parts of the song are quite frantic, actually, with the chorus essentially being a heavier version of the verses - but with a more intense guitar backing - and there is a pretty high-octane guitar solo later which feels more metallic than usual. Sadly, there is also a pseudo-rapped section - which I really could have done without.

Cold Hearted Woman is another acoustic-based whimsical number. There are no Queenisms this time, though, with the guitar chords and the shuffling drum beat being very similar to that found throughout Hot on My Tail. The song is perhaps not quite as upbeat as that earlier track, though, with some stronger folk elements throughout. The grooves are very similar, though, but some fiddle playing from Jayne Pomplas adds to the overall folky feel. I just do not feel that the song is all that appealing. Justin's vocal delivery is a bit bland, too, which is rare for him - and no-one involved really feels all that invested in the song. It is a bit of a strange addition to the album, then, and it is one of the weakest cuts here thanks to the dreary acoustic guitar presence and the lack of any bite in the vocal delivery. Walking Through Fire also opens with some big acoustic guitar chords, but it is clear from the off that the song is going to be more upbeat - and it soon morphs into a great hard rocker that is one of the album's highlights. This is classic Darkness through and through - with some good humour from Justin that stays the right side of the aforementioned line whilst guitars crunch around him and the band add plenty of soaring vocal harmonies. The chorus is a real winner, with a guitar lead backing Justin's vocals to add depth - whilst the crunchy guitars really bring the song to life. There is plenty of great groove here and the riffing throughout is memorable - with screaming guitar leads when appropriate and some of the best Justin falsetto on the album. This is like The Darkness of the past - and it shows that they can still deliver despite the strange vibes which tend to permeate here. The album then comes to a close with yet another acoustic piece Weekend in Rome. The song is very low key, despite opening with a strange spoken word section, and delicate acoustic guitars are all that really backs Justin's vocals - which are heartfelt and full of character. The song always seems like it is about to explode into something bigger, especially when some strings kick in at the end of each chorus, but it never really does - despite the strings kicking in again in a much bigger way following another spoken section. It is one of the strangest songs that the band have written and it really does not sound anything like The Darkness - so it is an odd way to close out the album. Something a bit more involved would have likely worked better as an album closer - with the album just petering out as a result despite the richness of parts of the arrangement and the strong vocal performance. Overall, then, I have mixed views on this album. There are some strong songs here, with some classic Darkness hard rockers, but there are also too many acoustic-based and whimsical numbers that do very little for me. It is certainly a different album for the band, and it is good to see them pushing their boundaries, but this is an experiment which has not really worked in my opinion - and I hope for something more harder hitting next time.

The album was released on 28th March 2025 via Canary Dwarf Limited/Cooking Vinyl Limited. Below is the band's promotional video for I Hate Myself.