THUNDER ROARS BACK WITH NEW ALBUM ‘DOPAMINE’
LONDON—Fresh from the success of last year’s “All the Right Noises,” the British rock group Thunder is back with a new album inspired by the general isolation felt during the COVID-19 pandemic and people’s addiction to social media.
Released on Friday, “Dopamine” is the hard rock band’s 14th studio album, featuring 16 tracks penned during lockdown, guitarist and songwriter Luke Morley told Reuters.
“Most of it was conceived and written throughout the pandemic, so there’s lots of stuff about isolation and the more positive aspects, self-analysis,” Morley said in a joint interview with Thunder lead singer Danny Bowes.
“The other theme is about social media, people’s addiction to it, and the dopamine hit they get from holding up their phone and going, ‘Oh, God, I’m lovely today or whatever.’”
The record features a mix of sounds—acoustic blues, catchy guitar riffs, sax solo, accordion and a gospel chorus.
The lead single “The Western Sky” nods to Bowes’ and Morley’s annual charity motorbike trip, while “No Smoke Without Fire” was inspired by online trolling.
“Across the Nation” is told through the eyes of a band eager to perform live again, something Thunder will resume soon with a five-date UK arena tour starting on May 21 in Glasgow. They will also play several European festivals this summer.
On the road
“We’re used to making a record, releasing it, then going out on the road to play those songs live in front of people,” Bowes said. “We didn’t get to do it on the last album, which was odd... These shows have been rescheduled three times, so to finally get to do it now is a bit like getting to scratch an itch that’s been there for a long, long time.”
Thunder, which was formed in 1989, is known for songs like “Dirty Love,” “Low Life in High Places” and “A Better Man.”
Its 2015 comeback album “Wonder Days” was their first to reach the UK Top 10 in 20 years. The group’s records have since stayed in that bracket.
Bowes said they had now come to the realization that they “probably had more years behind us than we had in front.”
“We just felt it was even more important to make sure that if one of them ended up being our last album, we needed to be able to look back and say, ‘OK, we can leave it there.’ And that seems to be happening more and more with each record.”