British rock icons SKUNK ANANSIE have released their brand album The Painful Truth, along with brand new single ‘Shame’.
The Painful Truth is a truly mesmerising, provocative, powerful and emotional album. It is the sound of Skunk Anansie facing up to who they are and what they want to become. It is more than an album title. It is a reality that they have lived through and has been greeted by rapturous reviews.
THE PAINFUL TRUTH REVIEWS
“Has a raw, experimental feel… creating a record that has a bleak, sonically rich beauty” – MOJO
“From proudly queer love songs to spine-tingling piano weepies to stadium-sized lust confessionals this is Skunk Anansie’s most musically ambitious album yet… lively, adventurous, emotionally raw” – Classic Rock
“Skunk Anansie's most vital and inventive album in years… they’ve taken everything that made them special in the first place – the punk attitude, the driving rock melodies, and frontwoman Skin’s incredible voice – and rearranged it all into something thrillingly fresh and recognisably now…. Skunk Anansie at the absolute peak of their powers” – Metal Hammer
“The Painful Truth sounds eye-openingly fresh for a band with such history… shinier, more expansive, less guitar reliant, and frankly as good as anything they’ve done… mixing ska with rock, electronics and synths with throbbing bass and disarming melodies” – Kerrang!
“A return that is determined, defiant and thrilling” – Songwriting Magazine
“Skunk Anansie’s very fine new album” – Daily Telegraph
“An immensely strong album that will only grow in appreciation and stature” – Powerplay
“A record that shows Skunk Anansie as true masters of their art” – Devolution
Produced by David Sitek of TV On The Radio fame it’s a fresh, frank, uplifting and textured album, with the band’s knack for writing big pop songs remaining defiantly undiminished. If anything, their hooks this time around are sharper and sink in quicker.
The Painful Truth is Skunk Anansie’s first release on the newly formed FLG Records, and it comes with a freshness that belies their storied career and previous multi-platinum achievements. It’s a record that sees Skunk Anansie reclaim their place as one of the most exciting, visionary and important bands in British music.
“When I really think about it, yes, we have made some good records in our time but it’s been a long time since we have made a great album. And that is the painful truth,” confesses Skin. “Understanding that, led us to making what I genuinely think is our greatest record yet.”
Skunk Anansie will be playing album release shows across the country over the next seven days, starting with a very special headline performance at Good Times Festival tonight. The band have another run of huge European headline shows this summer before appearing as Special Guests in the UK at the two outdoor Smashing Pumpkins shows in August.
23 May - Good Times At The Ridings 2025 - Chipping Sodbury, United Kingdom
24 May - Leeds Crash - Leeds, United Kingdom
25 May - Liverpool Jacaranda - Liverpool, United Kingdom
26 May - London Rough Trade East - London, United Kingdom
27 May - Oxford Truck - Oxford, United Kingdom
28 May - Nottingham Rough Trade - Nottingham, United Kingdom
29 May - PRYZM Kingston - Kingston Upon Thames, United Kingdom
18 Jun - Copenhell 2025 - Copenhagen, Denmark
20 Jun - Lukiškių kalėjimas 2.0 - Vilnius, Lithuania
21 Jun - Palladium Riga - Rīga, Latvia
22 Jun - Helitehas - Tallinn, Estonia
23 Jun - Allas Sea Pool - Helsingfors, Finland
25 Jun - Fållan - Johanneshov, Sweden
26 Jun - Leiligheten Rockefeller - Oslo, Norway
28 Jun - TW Classic Festival 2025 - Werchter, Belgium
30 Jun - Posthalle GmbH - Würzburg, Germany
1 Jul - Schlachthof Wiesbaden - Wiesbaden, Germany
2 Jul - Marktplatz Markdorf - Markdorf, Germany
5 Jul - BCT Music Festival - Benevento, Italy
6 Jul - Senigallia Festival - Senigallia, Italy
8 Jul - Cavea Auditorium Parco Della Musica - Rome, Italy
9 Jul - Sequoie Music Park - Bologna, Italy
11 Jul - Marostica Summer Festival Volksbank - Marostica, Italy
12 Jul - Villa Bertelli Live - Forte Dei Marmi Lu, Italy
13 Jul - Brescia Music Festival - Brescia, Italy
15 Jul - GARAGE - Saarbrücken, Germany
19 Jul - Posthof Zeitkultur Am Hafen - Linz, Austria
20 Jul - SRC Šalata - Zagreb, Croatia
25 Jul - Hills of Rock Festival 2025 - Plovdiv, Bulgaria
10 Aug - Gunnersbury Park - South West London, United Kingdom
14 Aug - Colchester Castle Park - Colchester, United Kingdom
THE PAINFUL TRUTH tracklisting
1. An Artist Is An Artist
2. This Is Not Your Life
3. Shame
4. Lost And Found
5. Cheers
6. Shoulda Been You
7. Animal
8. Fell In Love With A Girl
9. My Greatest Moment
10. Meltdown
FURTHER INFORMATION ON SKUNK ANANSIE
Skunk Anansie, formed in 1994 in London, and are a truly seminal band; one of the first multi-racial British rock bands, they are known for their powerful sound and thought-provoking lyrics. Fronted by the charismatic and dynamic vocalist Skin, the band blends alternative rock with elements of punk and metal. They remain one of the most important and influential bands of their era.
Their debut album Paranoid & Sunburnt (1995) and its follow up Stoosh (1996) both hit the Top 10 album chart in the UK, and with hits like ‘Weak’ and ‘Hedonism’, they established themselves on the international stage, helped by their stunning live performances. In 1999, Skunk Anansie closed the decade off in style by releasing their third studio album, Post Orgasmic Chill and headlining Glastonbury Festival, before surprisingly going on a lengthy hiatus in 2001.
The band reconvened in 2008 to embark on the second chapter of their career, releasing three acclaimed albums - 2010’s Wonderlustre, 2012’s Black Traffic and 2016’s Anarchytecture. In 2019, the band marked their 25th anniversary with 25LIVE@25, a live album that brings together the greatest songs from their six studio albums.
Throughout their career, Skunk Anansie have sold over five million records around the world. The band’s international prominence continues to thrive today, selling out live arenas and headlining festivals across the continent, and now with The Painful Truth receiving rave reviews around the world, Skunk Anansie are back at the peak of their powers.
