Skin’s return on The Painful Truth feels triumphant, stately, and regal, like an artist stepping back onto the world stage with a crown of her own making. Skunk Anansie’s first album in nearly a decade is powerful, passionate, and full of assurance, clarity and purpose, 38 minutes of pop-inflected rock delivered by one of the UK’s most unmistakeable voices, reasserting Skin’s place as not just a frontwoman, but a cultural figurehead. The opener An Artist Is An Artist is an immediate standout, landing like a manifesto about creative longevity that’s direct, catchy and bold. Refusing to be sidelined into icon status, Skin uses the song to state plainly and powerfully that art is not tied to youth or trend cycles. The production is lush and accessible, with warm pianos and groovy drums. Lost and Found’s ghostly piano recalls Still D.R.E. crossed with smoky noir lounge, drifting closer to the feel of The Herbaliser or Massive Attack than a rock ballad.

Shoulda Been You is a skanking, sharp-edged number that pulls from ska and dub, but with a heavier rock chorus that lands like a punch, pulling from a broad palette that’s deeply rooted in British musical culture. The pianos, dub echoes, and thick basslines are all deeply familiar, and deployed with a clarity and intent that feels cinematic. The Painful Truth is full of tracks destined for festival main stages, with tremendous energy pulsing through the whole record. It’s easy to imagine these songs standing tall alongside the classics in their back catalogue, pulling from an impressive sprawl of genres. There’s dub, ska, heavy rock, industrial, and more, with Animal crashing in like something from Nine Inch Nails. Rather than committing too hard to any single sound, the album pulls from decades of music history and assembles it into something coherent, all in service of Skin’s voice. Whether she’s whispering something vulnerable or bellowing defiance into the rafters, Skunk Anansie build a world that lets Skin holler, howl, and command the room. It’s great to have them back.