Peter Capaldi - Sweet Illusions Review

XPN Network
Jul 21
4 min read

They say music sometimes has the profound ability to resonate with our emotions and memories, often being described as touching the soul. It can evoke powerful feelings, connect us to the past, and even influence our mood and well-being. It can make us happy, make us cry, make us remember things we miss and help us move on from things we would rather forget. Not all music resonates like this, but when you find an album that does, its a wonderful experience. Luckily for me that's exactly what happened with Peter Capaldi's newest release. Peter Capaldi is probably best known to most people as the Scottish actor best known for roles in TV shows and movies such as Paddington, The Thick of It and my personal favourite Doctor Who (I still miss his twelfth doctor to this day). What you may not know, is that in his younger years he was in a punk rock band. Now in the 2020s he's reconnecting with music and has released a couple of albums. The first St. Christopher released in 2021, although I only found out about this recently when I pre-ordered his second album Sweet Illusions.

Released on 28 March 2025 from label Last Night From Glasgow, the album feels like a fever dream set in post-industrial Glasgow, “Sweet Illusions” is a strange and stunning collision of grit, wit, and glam-flecked defiance. With Dr. Robert of The Blow Monkeys at the production helm, Capaldi crafts 11 tracks that feel like smoky monologues whispered across rainy Glasgow nights, layered with synth-driven nostalgia and riotous guitar swells and I honestly can't get enough of it. I have relistened to it so many times, it's the staple of my in car CD player time.

Track List:

1	Is It Today
2	Hanger Lane
3	Not Going Anywhere
4	Sweet Illusions
5	The Big Guy
6	Bin Night
7	The Best Of Me
8	Something To Behold
9	Through The Cracks
10	Diminished
11	No One In The World

Peter Capaldi’s vocal style is as distinctive as his screen presence. It's gravelly, theatrical, and emotionally charged. It’s not the kind of voice that blends into the background; it commands attention, often sounding like it’s been aged in cigarette smoke and existential dread. It wont be for everyone, just like toast covered in Marmite, but for those that enjoy it then you're in for a treat. His voice isn’t conventionally beautiful but that’s exactly why it works. It’s lived-in, expressive, and unmistakably his.

Whilst the vocals may not be for everyone, the way Peter tells a story through each track is mesmerising as he crafts vignettes that feel like short films set to music with his lyrics. My favourite track from the album is Not Going Anywhere. To me it comes across as telling a story about being emotionally present even when physically apart. Capaldi explores the tension between keeping distance and staying connected, suggesting that love doesn’t always need proximity to endure. It has an extremely catchy chorus, and honestly reminds me of past relationships and connections from times long past.

He’s not trying to be a rock star. He’s just telling stories the only way he knows how: loud, messy, and full of character. There’s a theatricality here yes, but beneath it lies something startlingly vulnerable. Each song feels like a snapshot from Capaldi’s psyche—sometimes nostalgic, sometimes furious, often tender. He’s not trying to be universal; he’s trying to be honest. And that honesty makes the stories resonate.

Another song I adored from the album is The Best of Me. It's one of the more sombre tracks on the album and distils heartbreak into theatrical melancholy, as Capaldi reflects on a lost romance with smoky imagery and poetic flair. Again its another track I connect with alot, culminating in a final verse where the narrator envisions a triumphant rebirth, leaving the past lover to reckon with the absence they created. Chefs kiss.

I could go on and on about most of the tracks from this album, its a rollercoaster of emotion and storytelling from start to finish - The titular Sweet Illusions, opener Is it Today and Diminished are also tracks I listen to on repeat.

To say I loved this album is an understatement. I've never rashly ordered tickets so fast for a concert in my life, but when I got the early heads up that there was going to be an intimate gig from Peter in Glasgow I grabbed those tickets so fast without thinking twice! I do now have a very long drive (about 5 hours) next week to get to Glasgow, but its going to be worth it for one of two sold out shows (the first solo headline shows Peter has done).

Sweet Illusions isn’t polished. It’s raw, weird, and wildly authentic. A glam-punk scrapbook of sentiment and snark, it proves that Capaldi’s creative range is as unpredictable as it is irresistible. It's connected with me on so many levels and has honestly become my favourite album of 2025 so far. Whilst it wont be for everyone, I can honestly say its worth giving your time to checking out, who knows, maybe you will enjoy it as much as I did. If you’re into albums that feel like a moody walk through memory lane with a guitar slung over your shoulder and a smirk on your face, Sweet Illusions might just be your next obsession.

XPN Rating: 5 out of 5 (Platinum)