The Darkness - Dreams on Toast

English rock band The Darkness are best known to most for their iconic 2003 hit “I Believe In A Thing Called Love”. However, since their reunion in 2011, the group have been consistently making music, releasing albums every few years. Their latest, eighth full-length project, titled Dreams on Toast, delivers a half-hour long chaotic, retro-styled variety show.

Something that becomes immediately apparent on this record is that the band are staying very faithful to their signature brand of tongue-in-cheek, exaggerated theatrics. While it's mostly beneficial to the record, making it a very fun listen, it is something of a double-aged sword in a few cases - like, for example, the track “Battle For Gadgetland”, which has one of the best riffs on the album, but is undercut significantly by the bizarre rapped bridge. However, as mentioned, the lighthearted feel works in favor of Dreams On Toast more often than not - frontman Justin Hawkins has a great deal of charisma as a central focus of the tracks, and gives the theatrics a great deal of heart.

Another prominent trait of Dreams On Toast which is quite representative of The Darkness’s music in general is the throwback, nostalgic sound of the music. The majority of the record sounds like old school hard rock, with some occasional tracks in other, similarly retro styles. The large variety in styles does cost the album a little cohesiveness, and ends up making it take a slight dip in quality in the second half of the tracklist, but does help keep it engaging and diverse.

The lyrics aren’t the strongest part of the record, with various somewhat cringey moments here and there, but there is also still really fun songwriting on the project, which, in my eyes, paints a picture of an aging rockstar, instinctively lashing out against the changes in his life.

Where Dreams On Toast really shines is when it comes to the technical aspects of the music. The instrumental performances are fantastic throughout, with instantly catchy riffs, skillful guitar solos, dynamic drumming and bass lines, and colorful additions of horns and other instruments. The one drawback sonically is that the mixes are a little too tight and dense, making them feel a little overwhelming at times.

Overall, Dreams On Toast is an album that makes it incredibly clear that The Darkness had a huge amount of fun making it; and they do a great job transmitting that fun through the music to the listener. It’s far from flawless, but, to have an absolute blast for half an hour, it serves its purpose perfectly.

7.5/10

Dreams On Toast by The Darkness to be released on March 28th via Cooking Vinyl.