It takes less than a minute for “Be Somebody” to prove that The Damn Truth are still one of the finest hard rock bands on the planet.
On this self-titled effort, though, they’ve undergone a bit of a reinvention. This is glossy, polished arena rock — and it’s brilliantly done. “I Just Gotta Let You Know” soars with genuine soul, while the band experiment with different sounds without ever losing their trademark groove.
“Love Outta Luck” crashes in on a wave of swagger. “I’ve wrote a few songs I shouldn’t have sung,” admits Lee-La Baum — this definitely isn’t one of them.
It’s a quite brilliant record: ambitious and huge, and that’s before you even get to the heartbreaking “If I Don’t Make It Home”.
“Better This Way” sits almost in the middle of the album and is arguably its highlight — Bryan Adams has gone gold with less.
The guitar work is sensational, elevating “Mirror Mirror” as it does so many others. Every track has its own structure and identity, and each feels like it comes from the heart. Surely there’s no way “All Night Long” doesn’t. Its hook — “Revolution starts in bed, you see” — is one I’ll remember next time I have to get up in the morning. They fly “the freedom flag” on that one too, and there’s no doubt they are free spirits. You can imagine them in another life at Woodstock, and the Led Zep-flavoured “The Willow” proves it.
“Addicted” changes tack, funky and sassy, and when Lee-La sings “I just gotta be me” it feels like the most authentically The Damn Truth moment here.
Rival Sons and the like would kill for the feel of this album, and when they shift to something more blues-infused, as on the closing “Little Dove”, it’s like they’re returning to their roots just to prove they can still nail it. Its plea for more love and kindness feels perfectly timed for 2025.
When you name an album after yourself this far into your career, it usually means one of two things: either a rebirth or a statement. This feels very much like the latter.
