The Darkness (Photo: Simon Emmett)
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The Darkness, perhaps the U.K.’s most noteworthy export of glam-rock/pop over the past two-plus decades, is at it again.
On March 28, 2025, the band will release its eighth studio album titled Dreams on Toast — previewed this week with “The Longest Kiss,” a delightful track that brings to the forefront some of the English lads’ primary influences: The Beatles, Queen and ELO.
Here’s the song’s music video:
Said The Darkness front man (and highly entertaining podcast host) Justin Hawkins said of this new era:
“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!”
He continued:
“Misty Orchards! That’s not my porn name, that’s the kind of scenery that I love. I awakened to such a vista in the delightful Scottish highland town of Nairn on the morning that inspiration for “The Longest Kiss” lyric struck. I was bleary eyed and locked in an unending embrace with my (mid)life partner. Weird that I can still sing, but that’s a testament to the resilience of humans, especially lead singers. The music itself is a piano-led composition, the chorus of which my brother and I came up with after he’d taken a long time to empty his bladder during some impressive pub endurance. The verses were transposed from a song I’ve been working on for decades as part of a musical about the collapse of the Lowestoft fishing industry, called “The Collapse Of The Lowestoft Fishing Industry.” The musical isn’t finished yet. But “The Longest Kiss” is. The results are astounding. We’re all very proud of this. Please, to enjoy!”
This burst of activity from the group comes as the Darkness’ modern classic “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” is enjoying a Taylor Swift bump. The track, now 21 years old, shot up the streaming charts as a result of a viral video that found Swift animatedly belting out the song to boyfriend Travis Kelce as the pair took in the US Open Tennis Championships:
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Stay tuned for more from the Darkness and this next era for the band!
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