REVIEW: Skunk Anansie - The Painful Truth

Fresh off their recent fourteen date UK tour, Skunk Anansie are back with their seventh studio album, and first in nine years, The Painful Truth. Whether you are a new fan, or a seasoned follower of the band, who have been a major part of the UK music scene for nearly 30 years, this album is one not to miss. With the band having been dealt some difficult cards in the last five years, there was a time they were close to calling it a day, but they are back, and as determined and resilient as ever.

When Skin, the enigmatic and powerful lead singer, describes her band as a "clit-rock" group, you shut up and you listen. Since 1994, Skunk Anansie have been bringing their unique mix of rock and punk influences, with reggae beats. Skin’s powerful, wide-ranging voice, coupled with the oft heavy but always necessary lyrics, shows exactly why she is a crucial role model for current and future generations of black women, and singers everywhere.

The Painful Truth starts with the storming ‘An Artist Is An Artist’, barging straight into Skin telling the listener exactly how she feels, raging against ageism with every line ‘She don’t roll down her sleeves, pick up her Zimmer frame and leave, put down her pen put on her hat, because of menopause’. It is clear from the first few lines that the band are taking no prisoners with this album, making sure that the world knows that they are back and not taking any shit. Electro-beat filled ‘This Is Not Your Life’ sounds to us like it will become a firm live favourite; with the lyrics hitting the listener with a reminder that "This is not the way it should be", but could turn some long-term fans away from the album, as it is a definite change in sound, leaving the heaver rock chords to later songs.

‘Shame’ flies in as the third track, with the emotional and powerful lyrics looking at generational gifts or curses, depending on how you view them, with lyrics like "I got Love from my mother, pain from my dad", but brings back the familiar alternative Skunk Anansie sound that they are best known for. With lyrics like "Head in a daze, thought I was killin'", ‘Lost And Found’ tells a story to the listener, drawing you in, with the keys backing Skin’s powerful, velvety tones. Though it could be another track which could lose the fans of the heavier sound Skunk Anansie are known for, the closing out with a guitar solo will remind everyone why they are listening.

Through the second single from the album, ‘Cheers’ with its urgent beat and melodic bass line, Skin’s recognisable accent comes screaming at you with each line with a reminder to "Cheers, have one more glass", on a song with more simplistic lyrics that found elsewhere on the record. The softer, more vulnerable, yet still rhythmic 'Shoulda Been You' incorporates Skin’s reggae-rooted beats, featuring catchy lyrics supported by heavy bass guitar and drums, showcasing a more stripped back, personal reflection. ‘Animal’ brings the raw, powerful lyricism heard throughout the album to a head, with the darker, religious connotations, with repeated chants of "I am an animal!" begging to be screamed from the crowd to the stage.

With lyrics like "You fell in love with girl, who fell in love with a boy, who fell in love with me", not only are we transported back to the classic Skunk Anansie song ‘Secretly’ which famously featured on the soundtrack to 1999 romance thriller ‘Cruel Intentions’, we are sure the silky, soulful, and complicated love song ‘Fell In Love With A Girl’ will be the new bisexual anthem of the summer, with its choral intro coupled with more funky bass lines.

Trumpets open the albums penultimate song ‘My Greatest Moment’, where Skin states "Nothing’s gonna feel this good, this is my greatest moment", telling a career reflective story, with her soft, soulful tones piercing through each line. The album closes with the delicate piano based ‘Meltdown’, with the return of the emotionally charged lyrics, giving the listener a quiet end to an otherwise loud and energetic album. This finale will surely satisfy listeners, but will no doubt leave them with more questions than answers to the question on the tips of many a tongue - Skunk Anansie are back, but are they the same as before?

For some, The Painful Truth will be an unexpected shift from the darker, alternative rock veteran fans are used to from Skunk Anansie, but by understanding the shifts in the life behind the band and their rediscovery of just why they play music, it is clear that this album is not only a solid return from them, but a new era of pushing boundaries and redefining just what Skunk Anansie are all about.

Score: 9/10

The Painful Truth will be released on May 23rd 2025 via FLG Records.

Words: Lou Viner

Photos: Skunk Anansie