The Darkness ‘Dreams on Toast’ Review: theatrical UK glam rockers subvert expectations and explore new sounds on eighth album.
The 2024 documentary Welcome to The Darkness showcased the survival skills of a band that peaked commercially with their 2004 smash debut album Permission to Land, broke up, reformed, and transitioned into a cult act with a devoted following. The Darkness have maintained longevity by pumping out their trademark humorous anthems with heavy riffs, falsetto vocals, and blistering guitar solos while also incorporating other stylistic elements to keep things fresh.
The Darkness’s eighth studio album, Dreams on Toast, released on March 28, 2025 (Cooking Vinyl), showcases this ability to traverse and blend diverse musical styles while retaining their signature flair. And it’s their most disparate and adventurous effort yet.
Opener Rock and Roll Party Cowboy is a classic rock anthem on steroids, with searing solos and dynamic rhythms. It also serves as a tongue-in-cheek examination of 80’s rock hedonism delivered with frontman Justin Hawkin’s characteristic wit: Leather jacket / No sleeves / Harley-Davidson / Yes, please…I’m a rock and roll party cowboy, and I ain’t gonna read no Tolstoy!
In contrast, The Longest Kiss draws inspiration from a serene moment in the Scottish Highlands, a pop behemoth that blends the majesty of Queen (their propulsive drummer Rufus, is son of Queen’s Roger Taylor) with Beatles-esque flourishes. The track’s upbeat tempo and melodic richness highlight the band’s grasp of melody and dynamics.
The album’s eclectic nature is further exemplified by songs like Mortal Dread, a headbanger with a moody prog-interlude, the summery easy listening vibes of Don’t Need Sunshine, and the QOTSA by-way-of Weezer rocker The Battle for Gadget Land, all of which offer a rich tapestry of sounds that both surprise and satisfy, produced with tonal specificity by rhythm guitarist Dan Hawkins.
Dreams on Toast’s crazy-quilt quality can be disorienting, but it also keeps the listener’s attention, whipsawing from the 80’s sax-soaked pop of I Hate Myself (a chipper ode to self-loathing), to not one, but two(!!) country songs: the playful Hot on My Tail, and epic break-up ballad Cold Hearted Woman.
While The Darkness have never been known for subtlety, Weekend in Rome is completely over the top: a bombastic number straight out of a musical, replete with a full-orchestra and Hawkin’s falsetto soaring to the stratosphere. As album closers go, it’s one for the ages.
Yet, beneath all the theatricality, there’s self-awareness. On the stomping Walking Through Fire, Justin Hawkins wails, We never stopped making hit albums, it’s just that no one buys them anymore!—a sentiment that’s both a cheeky lament and a sobering reality, reflecting rock music’s reduced cultural impact. But that’s no fault of the band; in a different era, they’d still be massive.
But somehow, this underdog status only makes them more endearing, defiantly flying the flag for rock ‘n’ roll, no matter how unfashionable it may seem. Their fans get it. And ultimately, that’s what matters.
Overall, Dreams on Toast stands as a testament to The Darkness’s enduring creativity and ability to evolve. The album pays homage to their rock roots but also ventures into new territories, solidifying their status as one of the most dynamic and entertaining bands in rock.
