Dreams on Toast
2025 studio album by The Darkness
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Dreams on Toast is the eighth studio album by the British hard rock band the Darkness, released on 28 March 2025 on Canary Dwarf and Cooking Vinyl.[1] Produced by guitarist Dan Hawkins, the album was preceded by the singles, "The Longest Kiss", "I Hate Myself", "Rock and Roll Party Cowboy", "Walking Through Fire", "The Battle for Gadget Land" and "Hot on My Tail".
| Dreams on Toast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 28 March 2025 | |||
| Recorded | 2024 | |||
| Studios | Hawkland Studios, Suffolk | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 33:05 | |||
| Labels |
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| Producer | Dan Hawkins | |||
| The Darkness chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Dreams on Toast | ||||
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Released to positive reviews, the album debuted at number two on both the UK Albums Chart and Scottish Albums Chart, and number one on the UK Independent Albums Chart, becoming their highest charting album in the UK since Permission to Land (2003).
Writing and composition
The album's opening track, "Rock and Roll Party Cowboy", is a satire on rock and roll cliches, with frontman Justin Hawkins noting, "It's got that gay undercurrent. Rock can be so straight and misogynistic, it drives me mad. I wanted to subvert those tropes."[2] The album's fourth track, "Mortal Dread", addresses the passage of time and changing cultural values: "The world's changing. The perceptions of what's toxic, the things you were taught to be when you were younger are now unacceptable, you're losing your raison d'être. You get to my age and you go, 'If I'm not a man, what am I?'"[2]
The album's penultimate track, "Walking Through Fire", directly addresses the band's current position within the music industry, with Justin Hawkins noting, "I think ambition is a little bit ugly. When you lay stuff bare like that and you talk about the experience of doing things, that’s nearly as interesting as the music itself. If anyone is inclined to pay attention to the lyrics, they’re getting an experience of what this existence looks like and feels like."[2]
During the writing process, the band wrote roughly 150 songs in contention for the album.[2]
Release
On 18 September 2024, the band announced they were set to release the new album Dreams on Toast in March. The album was released on 28 March 2025. Along with the announcement, the band announced an extensive list of UK tour dates which took place from 6 March to 1 April 2025, in support of the release of the album.[3] Additional dates were added to play songs from the album for the first time[4][5] alongside dates in Ireland.[6]
Six singles were released: "The Longest Kiss",[7] "I Hate Myself",[8] "Rock and Roll Party Cowboy",[9] "Walking Through Fire",[10] "The Battle for Gadget Land"[11] and "Hot on My Tail".[12]
Critical reception
The album received generally favourable reviews by critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album earned an average score of 68, based on 9 reviews.[13]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Justin Hawkins, Dan Hawkins, Frankie Poullain and Rufus Tiger Taylor, except where noted.[21]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rock and Roll Party Cowboy" | 4:27 | |
| 2. | "I Hate Myself" |
| 3:15 |
| 3. | "Hot on My Tail" | 3:23 | |
| 4. | "Mortal Dread" | 3:29 | |
| 5. | "Don't Need Sunshine" | 3:01 | |
| 6. | "The Longest Kiss" | 2:49 | |
| 7. | "The Battle for Gadget Land" | 3:32 | |
| 8. | "Cold Hearted Woman" | 3:10 | |
| 9. | "Walking Through Fire" | 2:54 | |
| 10. | "Weekend in Rome" |
| 3:03 |
| Total length: | 33:05 | ||
Bonus Tracks
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Mistletoe and Wine" | 4:26 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "The Wishing Well" | 2:35 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Au Revoir, My Friend" | 3:34 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Peppermint and Chamomile" | 2:56 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "My Only" | 4:08 |
Personnel
Personnel taken from the album's liner notes.[21]
The Darkness
- Justin Hawkins – lead vocals, guitar, piano
- Dan Hawkins – guitar, backing vocals
- Frankie Poullain – bass, backing vocals
- Rufus Tiger Taylor – drums, backing vocals
Additional performers
- Ian "Softlad" Norfolk – ukelele, Mellotron (cello), acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo
- Sweet Jane Pomplas – fiddle on "Cold Hearted Woman"
- Stephen Dorff – monologue on "Weekend In Rome"
- Charlie Smith – string arrangement on "Weekend In Rome"
Production
- Dan Hawkins – production, engineering, mixing
- Ian "Softlad" Norfolk – assistance
- Mike Marsh – mastering
Artwork
- Perry Shall – design, layout
- Simon Emmett – photos
Charts
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[22] | 45 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[23] | 37 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] | 49 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25] | 96 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[26] | 58 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[27] | 89 |
| Scottish Albums (Official Charts)[28] | 2 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[29] | 91 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] | 49 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts)[31] | 2 |
| UK Independent Albums (Official Charts)[32] | 1 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (Official Charts)[33] | 1 |