Luke Spiller is best known for being the marvelous frontman of The Struts. This past summer, the band toured the world to support their newest record, Pretty Vicious – the band’s fourth release. Not long after their world tour, Spiller announced that he would release his debut record, Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes and Wine.
The record contains 10 magnificent songs and has a total run time of 42 minutes. Even though the record only lasts 42 minutes, it feels as if Spiller is taking his listeners on a journey in his musical world. In preparation for this record, fans got treated with multiple singles en route to the record’s official release. “This record is the most personal thing I’ve ever made. Written like poetry, wrapped in big strings, heartbreak, drama, and a whole lotta love,” Spiller said on his Instagram. He also did a great job at teasing new music and strategically releasing singles to create more hype around the album’s release.
The album starts with “Devil In Me.” The dramatic orchestra opening greets listeners with sounds that they might not have associated with a member of The Struts. The dramatic orchestra and string sections remain constant throughout the entire record. It gives the album a James Bond/spy mystery vibe, which fits Spiller’s persona like a glove.
“Devil In Me” is a beautiful song to open the record with. Spiller is first accompanied by a piano before the string section picks back up in the background. The song has a jump to it that makes it feel like fans are darting down alleyways of London on a cold night. Spiller’s powerful voice stands out among the other instruments in the background – it creates a cinematic listen. In the dying seconds of the song, there’s a heavy guitar solo by Nick Perri and drum beat that engulfs listeners before the strings and guitar combo bring the song to a close.
\Song two, “If This Isn’t Love,” has a simpler approach compared to “Devil In Me.” This song has drums behind the strings that give the song more guidance during its three-minute run time. Additionally, Spiller dubs his voice throughout this song, which creates a deeper sound to the track. “If This Isn’t Love” helps slow down the pace of the record after a fast and bombastic start from “Devil In Me.”
One of the lead singles from the record, “The Ending Is Always The Same,” greets listeners as the third song. Granted that this song was a lead single, it’s obvious to say that it’s one of the strongest songs on the album. Spiller incorporates a new sound with the saxophone. I loved how Spiller would sing opposite the saxophone and it created a slight back and forth of musical conversation. “The Ending Is Always The Same” is one of the more rock-oriented songs on the album, which is why Spiller released this as a single. He was able to draw Struts fans who are more rock-oriented and might not have been interested in this sound. This song does a better job at showcasing Spiller’s talent as a singer; it’s in a slightly higher register than the two previous songs, but it’s able to stand out against the first few songs.
Song four is the title track and the lead single from the record. This song dances on the fine line of pop-rock, but that’s completely okay. Perri again joins Spiller to create a moody, laid-back listen before the orchestra drops in unexpectedly on the listener. I would love to hear what this song sounds like live and acoustic. It’s a slower-moving song that becomes Spiller’s anthem for the record. If there were any song on the album that belonged in any film, it would be this one. “It started with lyrics scribbled in notebooks, and ended with 10 tracks that tell the story of what I saw, felt, and lived through when I first moved to Los Angeles,” Spiller said on Instagram. Listeners get that Hollywood glitz and glamour feeling on this song. It has a guitar that follows the melody while strings and piano backup the vocals.
One can interpret “Magic At Midnight In Mel’s Diner” as being about the real-life Mel’s Drive-In Hollywood in Los Angeles. I like how this song brings listeners through two moods. At first, you think that it’s going to be more moody and cinematic. But almost a minute and a half in, the track takes a hard right turn towards a Broadway hit. “Magic At Midnight In Mel’s Diner” has a nice peppy and jumpy rhythm to it that breathes new life into the record.
What is spectacular about song six, “She’s Just Like California,” is that it’s as rock as the record gets. It’s an acoustic love song to Spiller’s United States home, California. As if Perri didn’t have time to shine, he shines bright on this track. Perri’s guitar is the standout piece, along with Spiller’s vocals. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if The Struts decided to play this song live.
“I’m With Her (But I’m In Love With You)” is another quiet two-piece song, similar to “She’s Just Like California.” It’s just Spiller and the piano telling the story of being with one partner while still secretly loving his former partner. Spiller’s voice is crisp and clear on this track. It feels as if he’s standing next to your dinner table, singing to you. In just three minutes, it’s amazing to see how Spiller can paint a picture in your mind throughout the song. “I’m With Her (But I’m In Love With You)” clearly takes listeners through the song and they can perfectly picture Spiller sitting in the cab he mentions while following him along through the song.
“Don’t Be Afraid To Love Me” is another great track that has a cinematic feeling to it. I find it odd that it didn’t appear as the closing track. It would have potentially been strong if Spiller decided to end on this note and wrap the entire record up in one powerful bow. On its own, it’s still a good song, but it gets slightly overshadowed by the magic in “I’m With Her (But I’m In Love With You).”
The second-to-last song on the record, “The Sound of Love,” brings listeners back to that mysterious feeling they felt in “Devil In Me.” The unsettling piano in the back mixed with the darker tone of the strings has that James Bond opening song feel to it. It would be spectacular to hear this song included in the opening credits of an amazing spy/James Bond film. It’s a beautiful song that puts Spiller’s vocals to the test. Yet, as professional as he is, Spiller knocks it out of the park.
The record closes off with Spiller dueting with Kendall Rucks on “Angel Like You.” I love how Spiller included this duet at the end of the record. Throughout the album, it felt like a second voice might have been needed to freshen up the album. Finally, on the very last track, listeners got that fresh dose of vocals that was missing. Spiller rises to the challenge of having another powerful singer join him. It’s hard to say whose vocals were better on this track because they’re both so raw and powerful. Rucks does a spectacular job supporting Spiller’s voice and the two mesh together perfectly.
This album marked the first time that any members of The Struts would release material outside of the band. It was only a matter of time before the band explored different routes of music. Members of Kiss, Queen, Fleetwood Mac and The Rolling Stones all went down different avenues of music while also maintaining legendary status with their bands. Now, you can add The Struts to that list.
There are only three words that accurately describe this record. Power, energy and magic. Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes and Wine is a phenomenal debut record. It’s a shame that Spiller made fans wait so long for this masterpiece. There is so much to love about this album – it’s a cinematic listen, walks the line of rock and orchestral opera and blends Spiller’s voice in a nice silk towel with a bow. It’s spectacularly hard for a lead singer to release a solo record without being compared to his sound in his original band. Sometimes, when singers create music that isn’t close to the work in their original band, it fails. This is not the case on Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes and Wine. Spiller goes down a different road and creates a beautifully marvelous record.
Rating: 9/10
Tracklist:
1. Devil In Me
2. If This Isn’t Love
3. The Ending Is Always The Same
4. Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes And Wine
5. Magic At Midnight In Mel’s Diner
6. She’s Just Like California
7. I’m With Her (But I’m In Love With You)
8. Don’t Be Afraid To Love Me
9. The Sound of Love
10. Angel Like You
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My love for live music started with my first concert ever, Guns N’ Roses back in 2016. Since then, I’ve been able to capture photos of some amazing artists like Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Ace Frehley, and Post Malone. I am based in New York/New Jersey and go to school in Connecticut majoring in Journalism and I am always looking for the next concert to attend.
