After a previous solo release (Grace/Wastlands) in 2009 and The Libertines' Anthems for Doomed Youth in 2015, Peter Doherty returns with an album that thrives on duality.

It's there in the pairings, such as the uptempo piano-led Kolly Kibber and the playful Down for the Outing. And it is there in two takes on I Don't Love Anyone (But You're Not Just Anyone), one a pared-back version, the other a rich, full-band rendering. On Hell to Pay at the Gates of Heaven, written following last November's Paris attacks, Doherty mingles a serious subject with a strangely joyous melody. On Flags of the Old Regime, he sings of a troubled mind (it was written for Amy Winehouse) that also mirrors his own demons.

A cathartic piece of work. albionrooms.com