Poised for greatness with his former band Biters, then dumped like a jilted bride at the altar, Tuk Smith’s been through the record label wringer. It’s still unclear why his band Biters fell out of favour so quickly and completely, but, to Tuk’s credit, he barely paused for breath before releasing 2022’s excellent Ballad Of A Misspent Youth.
That album was something, but Rogue To Redemption is something else again, the complete package: pristine pop and rock with a twist of glam and bursting with arena-ready songs.
It’s hard and perhaps wrong to pick favourites, but let’s do it anyway, the lovely Mott The Hoople vibe emanating from End Of An Era is hard not to love. Ditto the sparkling pop of Little Renegade, which motors into view giving off Cheap Trick and Sweet-like sparks.
That’s only the beginning, though. Put it on repeat and roll on through the summer.