Album Review: Tyketto - Closer To The Sun (Silver Lining Music, 2026)
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- 6 min read
Written: 10th March 2026
Melodic hard rockers Tyketto were formed almost forty years ago by former Waysted vocalist Danny Vaughn, who today is the sole founding member in the band’s current line-up. Tyketto have seen more than their fair share of line-up changes over the years, including Vaughn’s own departure during the mid‑nineties. Following short‑lived reunions in 2004 and 2007, the band have been together once more since 2008, with Vaughn the constant presence. He is currently joined by Thunder’s Chris Childs on bass, Johnny Dee on drums, Harry Scott Elliott on guitar, (all of whom joined in 2023) and Ged Rylands on keyboards.
It is a setup that Vaughn feels is like a gathering of old friends. “We've got a saying right now, which is ‘not a bastard in the bunch’,” he states with a smile. “Ged Rylands had been in the band anyway, Chris Childs had been in and out at various points so he was already in place, and finding Johnny Dee and Harry Scott Elliot were just two phone calls. Johnny Dee completes the circle too in as much as we’re talking 40 years of being friends. And with this new band fully able to tour, my booking agent said ‘hallelujah’ and the dogs were off the leash.” Having seen Tyketto play on the Friday night at Stonedead Festival last year, I can safely say that this line‑up is absolutely phenomenal live and if you have the opportunity to seem them, take it!
Due to the various line-up changes and lengthy hiatuses across the band’s history, Closer To The Sun is only Tyketto’s sixth studio album. It opens with Higher Than High – the first single – which is a celebration of appreciating life in its purest form. “That's coming right from me,” enthuses Danny, “That’s me throwing the phone away, getting off of all that social media shit, and really just appreciating the life I’m living every moment right now. The message is simple: to look to the positive things in life as a whole. We wanted to have an uplifting record, and this is a launchpad for that.” Musically, Higher Than High is a groove‑laden, feel‑good mid‑paced hard rocker. Chris Childs’s bass dances with an energetic verve and Vaughn – whose voice still sounds great after all these years – delivers a wonderfully inviting opening that grabs the attention straight away, his harmonica solo adding another layer of colour to the track. Harry Scott Elliott’s guitar solo keeps the momentum rolling and it is an excellent opening song for the album – one that immediately feels confident and assured, signalling that their first release since 2016 is in very safe hands.
Starts With A Feeling begins with acoustic guitars before the rest of the band join and a catchy hook from Elliot leads us towards the first verse. As with many tracks on Closer To The Sun, Starts With A Feeling comes armed with a melodic, instantly memorable chorus that fans will be singing from the very first spin. Bad For Good has a biting swagger that adds a little more attitude to proceedings with Vaughn obviously enjoying every moment. Sitting pretty and I’m feeling no pain / Burning daylight on this runaway train / My blood is up and its understood / I’m feeling pretty bad for good. In a similar vein, later on the album, Hit Me Where It Hurts shows the band’s slightly grittier side without sacrificing any of their melody or cohesiveness. Bass and guitar move in unison before Elliott breaks away with a rapid‑fire solo that shoots for the sky.
Some songs are deliberately geared towards reconnecting the band with their roots as Vaughn states about We Rise. “In the spirit of Don't Come Easy we set out to create a couple of real arena rock anthems and We Rise is definitely one of those. It also marked the first real collaborative effort within the band for this album.” Beginning quietly, almost Tom Petty like, We Rise takes its time to build but when it breaks open, any fan of this kind of melodic rock will be grinning as the whole thing swells with dramatic effect. Lyrically, it is - in Vaughn’s words - a simple message. “When you get knocked down, keep getting back up!” Albeit through a modern production lesson, we are whisked back to the eighties via an anthemic chorus, a rousing guitar solo, a soaring keyboard solo and words that we can all relate to. We rise, we fall, but we give it our all / We fall, we rise with hope in our eyes / When it's down to the wire, we'll walk through the fire / We rise, we fall, and we're gonna stand tall. Complete with a section made for getting the crowd clapping along, it is tailor made and without a doubt destined to become a fan favourite.
As the album progresses, Tyketto are keen to show there is diversity within their songs. With its honky‑style keyboard and easy, rolling gait, the interestingly titled Donnowhuddidis is a fine example of this. Title‑track Closer To The Sun, which feels perfect for a late‑evening summer drive along the coast, is a little more introspective in nature, yet you can hear a band completely at ease with each other as they shift the tempo and weave in some well‑placed acoustic guitar. It boasts another standout, sing‑along chorus and Danny Vaughn’s voice sounds superb throughout, giving the whole thing a warmth and richness that will translate brilliantly in a live setting.
Some versions of the album feature an intriguing cover version of Harleys & Indians (Riders In The Sky). “I've always loved that song,” says Danny, “it's a Roxette B-side, which unless people are massive Roxette fans they wouldn’t know. Again, I was thinking about the attitude I want Tyketto to always carry on record and live, which is uplifting, involving, and free of doom and gloom. This song certainly fits that, and it fits so well with everything we’ve done on Closer To The Sun.” While you can, in places, still hear the touches that hint at its origin, Tyketto reshape it with such confidence and character that it feels entirely at home here. The album’s big ballad arrives in the shape of The Picture and while it does have all the hallmarks of such songs, it stakes its claim as one of the finest offerings here. Perfectly structured, it is a wonderful piece of songwriting that pulls at the heartstrings without becoming overly sentimental. You took the weight / You feel the light / Finding your way through this dizzy life / It takes up everything inside you.
Penultimate track Far and Away is an inspiring upbeat entry that blends acoustic and electric guitars effectively. Inspired by a holiday in Marrakech with his wife, Vaughn reveals that he was initially nervous about the prospect. “I don't do well with the whole crowded marketplace scene but we had the most amazing time. So the song is a tip of the hat to something that I very much believe, which is that those people over there, they're ‘them’ until you go over and shake ‘their’ hands and meet them. Then they're not them anymore, right? It’s ‘us’. We all have much more in common than we have that’s different.” Adding another ingredient to the album, folk‑tinged violin brings a fresh personality to the track, giving it a brightness and charm that lifts the whole piece beautifully.
While there are some noticeable exceptions, Journey’s Open Arms for example, I always prefer it when bands of this nature leave us rocking and not with a quieter song. It fills me with joy that Tyketto opted to end Closer To The Sun with what is arguably the most upbeat track – The Brave. Driven by Johnny Dee's infectious drumming, it is a glorious celebration of everyday heroes and those that keep our world turning. For every hospital worker on that lonely graveyard shift / For every fire fighter in his turnout gear that understand what if / For every tired parent that finds hope long the way / For every teacher that gets those children through the day / Through the day / I call you the brave! As a closing track, The Brave comes out swinging - bright, direct and packed with the kind of spirit that sends smiling listeners out into the word ready to take on whatever it decides to throw our way. As it reaches its final moments, the instruments fade away until all that’s left is the band’s harmonised voices - a powerful and striking finish.
Tyketto are not reinventing the wheel on Closer To The Sun but when the songs are this strong, they do not need to. What they deliver instead is a record that respects where they came from while proving they are very much alive in the present. Danny Vaughn’s remark that, “I've never had this much fun. I've never wanted to push a band so hard and I've never felt so much part of it as I do now” sits at the centre of the whole experience. That sense of enjoyment is easy to hear, from the high‑energy moments to the more reflective passages, and it gives the album a spirit that feels genuine. Closer To The Sun stands as a reminder of just how compelling this band can be when the songs, the spirit and the performances all fall into place.
Highly recommended for fans of melodic rock, Closer To The Sun is released on 20th March 2026
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