Sweet Illusions
2025 studio album by Peter Capaldi
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Sweet Illusions is the second album by Scottish actor, singer, and guitarist Peter Capaldi. The album was released on 28 March 2025 on the independent label Last Night from Glasgow and was produced by Dr. Robert.
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| Sweet Illusions | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 28 March 2025 | |||
| Recorded | 2023–2024 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 45:29 | |||
| Label | Last Night from Glasgow | |||
| Producer | Dr. Robert | |||
| Peter Capaldi chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Sweet Illusions | ||||
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Background
Recorded from 2023 to 2024,[1] Sweet Illusions, like his debut album St. Christopher (2021), was produced by Dr. Robert of the Blow Monkeys,[2] who is also from Glasgow, Scotland.[3] Both albums were released roughly forty years after Capaldi quit music in favor of an acting career.[4] In an interview with the NME, he referred to Sweet Illusions as having "quite a nostalgic feeling about it ... It's a bit art studenty, Glasgow, 1978".[5]
Broadly categorised as rock music,[3][6] Capaldi has cited bands from 1980s Glasgow[7] and Frank Sinatra[8] as influences on the album. Furthermore, following its release, he revealed some of his favorite albums in an issue of Uncut Magazine, singling out Simple Minds' debut Life in a Day (1979) and Sinatra's That's Life (1966).[9]
Singles and release
The album's lead single, "Bin Night", was released in September 2024.[10] Capaldi has referred to the song as a lullaby, describing how a mundane activity such as taking out the trash provides a sense of control upon becoming a grandfather.[8] Two more singles followed in anticipation of the album: "Is It Today" in November 2024[11] and "Sweet Illusions" in January 2025.[1]
Sweet Illusions was released on 28 March 2025 on the Scottish independent label Last Night from Glasgow.[12] It peaked at no. 3 on the Scottish Album Charts, and although the album did not place on the main UK albums chart, it did peak at no. 4 on the Independent Albums Chart.[13]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Mojo |   [14] |
| Record Collector | [6] |
In a review for Mojo Magazine, John Aizlewood said "It's echo-drenched, but embraces new wave with the title track's Stranglers-esque keyboards and the Alarm-style guitars which course through the near-spoken 'The Big Guy', while 'Bin Night' ... suggests Capaldi can tame a big gravelly ballad. It's not without grit either, and ... it's clear Sweet Illusions is more than another lovey dalliance."[14] Steve Pollock of Record Collector thought "Capaldi's charismatic vocal [is] the star of a nostalgic set which calls to mind Tom Waits or Leonard Cohen on the elegiac ballads 'Hanger Lane' and 'Bin Night' [and] Jim Kerr on the strutting 80s rocker 'Is It Today'".[6]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Peter Capaldi.[14]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Is It Today" | 3:32 |
| 2. | "Hanger Lane" | 3:34 |
| 3. | "Not Going Anywhere" | 3:22 |
| 4. | "Sweet Illusions" | 3:47 |
| 5. | "The Big Guy" | 5:22 |
| 6. | "Bin Night" | 4:34 |
| 7. | "The Best of Me" | 3:33 |
| 8. | "Something to Behold" | 3:39 |
| 9. | "Through the Cracks" | 6:04 |
| 10. | "Diminished" | 3:14 |
| 11. | "No One in the World" | 4:48 |
| Total length: | 45:29 | |
Personnel
Credits adapted from the vinyl liner notes.[15]
- Peter Capaldi – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, synths, musical typing
- Dr. Robert – acoustic and electric guitars, bass, keyboards, backing vocals
- Steve Sidelnyk – drums, drum programming, percussion
- Jos Hawken – piano, keyboards
Technical and design
- Dr. Robert – production
- Iván Moreno – engineering, mixing
- Paul McGeechan – mastering
- Katie Chapman – production assistant
- Colin Cassells – graphics
Charts
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[13] | 3 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[13] | 4 |