Dreams on Toast The Darkness

• 1 Rock and Roll Party Cowboy 04:27
• 2 I Hate Myself 03:15
• 3 Hot on My Tail 03:23
• 4 Mortal Dread 03:29
• 5 Don't Need Sunshine 03:01
• 6 The Longest Kiss 02:49
• 7 The Battle for Gadget Land 03:32
• 8 Cold Hearted Woman 03:10
• 9 Walking Through Fire 02:54
• 10 Weekend in Rome 03:03
• Total Runtime 33:03

Info for Dreams on Toast

The Darkness"s new album "Dreams On Toast" marks a bold new chapter for the band. With their signature blend of flamboyant rock anthems and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, this album cements their place at the pinnacle of British rock. Expect soaring guitar riffs, infectious hooks, and a nostalgic yet fresh take on the genre that will resonate with longtime fans and new listeners alike.

“You know that thing when God’s breath tickles your soul and tells you to create? Yeah, makes me giggle too. But you can’t resist. God might not be the power she once was, but say what you like about her, she knows damn well that what the world needs now, is rock sweet rock. And who are we, mere mortals of extraordinary ability, to argue with the divine? So we knuckled down and thought really hard about the best of the best, the elite songs, the life-changing music of the ages. Then we popped out a dozen bangers before lunch. And these bangers we present to you here, wallowing in an aromatic aural ragu, served atop the charred remains of our envious contemporaries… ladies and gentlemen, I give you Dreams on Toast. Close your eyes, loosen your cummerbund, and enjoy….” (Justin Hawkins)

Good lord, how has it been 4 years already? The band had established such a consistent rhythm, dropping fresh tunes approximately biennially – the comeback masterpiece Hot Cakes (2012), followed by Last of Our Kind (2015), Pinewood Smile (2017), the magnificent Easter Is Cancelled (2019), and their previous offering Motorheart (2021). It’s bewildering that Motorheart was released four years ago, though we’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy their splendid documentary Welcome To The Darkness in the interim, plus those ‘catsuitastic’ concerts from these natural-born performers.

"This latest Darkness creation packs more unexpected elements in just the opening trio of tracks than seemed conceivable. For those who’ve fantasized about “Queen exploring country territory” or “Bon Jovi channeling AC/DC” or perhaps “The Darkness interpreting Sham 69” – these are precisely the fantasies The Darkness are serving up on toast for your consumption." (Adrian Hextall, myglobalmind.com)

Justin Hawkins, lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, keyboards
Dan Hawkins, rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals
Frankie Poullain, bass, backing vocals
Rufus Tiger Taylor, drums, backing vocals

The Darkness
England's the Darkness centered around irrepressible frontman Justin Hawkins (vocals/guitars/keyboards), who, along with his guitar-playing baby brother Dan, bassist Frankie Poullain, and drummer Ed Graham, single-handedly resurrected the rather unfashionable sounds and attitudes of late-'70s hard rock for an unsuspecting generation. Following the demise of an earlier, conspicuously synth pop-based outfit named Empire, the Hawkins brothers sowed the seeds of what would become the Darkness at an impromptu karaoke session on New Year's Eve 1999. Justin's rapturous rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" showed them the way, and the suitably dramatic name of the Darkness was chosen shortly after the arrival of Poullain and Graham.

With outrageous stage antics that included gaudy leotards stolen from Steven Tyler's wardrobe, leaps and splits borrowed from David Lee Roth, and an ear-piercing falsetto copped from Freddie Mercury himself, the multi-talented elder Hawkins led the quartet as the group spent the next two years slogging it out in London's pub circuit. Though they were immediately singled out as a joke by the notoriously vicious British press, the Darkness' high-energy sets, remarkably catchy material, and unapologetic worship of old-school rock & roll bombast gradually earned them a fanatical following based on simple word of mouth.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love [EP] The tide finally began to shift in their favor in August 2002, when they released their debut EP, I Believe in a Thing Called Love (through the independent label Must Destroy Music), won a major talent contest, and scored all-important opening slots with Deep Purple and Def Leppard. Their momentum carried through into the new year, starting with a knockout performance at Austin's SXSW music convention in January, continuing with the release of the "Keep Your Hands Off My Woman" single in February (which peaked at number 36 in the U.K. chart), and climaxing with their subsequent signing with a major-label, Atlantic Records, in March.

Permission to Land Nothing could stop the Darkness' snowball effect, and a series of acclaimed festival appearances set the stage for their debut album, Permission to Land, to debut atop the British charts -- the first time a new act had achieved such a feat since Coldplay three years earlier. Aside from the 2003 Christmas single Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End), the Darkness concentrated on touring until 2005, when they returned to the studio with Cars and Foreigner producer Roy Thomas Baker. During the recording of their sophomore album, the band parted ways with Poullain and replaced him with former guitar tech Richie Edwards.

One Way Ticket to Hell...And BackOne Way Ticket to Hell...And Back was released late in 2005 but didn't fare as well as its predecessor, which took a toll on Justin Hawkins. Following several months of touring, the frontman entered rehab in August 2006 for alcohol and cocaine abuse. Although he completed the program, Hawkins nevertheless left the Darkness' lineup later that year, leaving the group's fate in the hands of his former bandmates. The remaining musicians regrouped under the name Stone Gods the following year, while Justin busied himself with solo work, issuing a single under the moniker British Whale and a full-length album, 2008's Red Light Fever, with his new band Hot Leg. In 2011, the Darkness reunited with the original lineup featuring Hawkins and embarked on several European tours. In 2012, they delivered the full-length album Hot Cakes. In 2015, the band issued their fourth studio outing, Last of Our Kind, the first Darkness album to feature new drummer Emily Dolan Davies, who'd replaced founding member Ed Graham the year before. However, just before the album was released, Davies departed the band, with Rufus Taylor stepping in as her replacement for the subsequent tour. Taylor made his recorded debut on their fifth studio album, 2017's Pinewood Smile, released via Cooking Vinyl. (Source: AMG)

This album contains no booklet.