Almost 30 years after Weak gave the London band a global smash, Skunk Anansie’s “painful truth” is facing up to middle age, parenthood, the loss of a longstanding manager, fears that their best days were behind them and two members being diagnosed with cancer. Recorded with drummer Mark Richardson in recovery and bassist Cass undergoing chemotherapy, their first album in nine years confronts such issues with candour and defiance. Opener An Artist Is an Artist stridently lays down the manifesto: over an infectious collision of electro-pop and post-punk, singer Skin insists that a true creative will not be denied by ageing or menopause. The vocalist subsequently addresses challenges ranging from the hedonistic rock lifestyle to her own family history.
