There are certain albums that arrive at exactly the right moment in your life.
Not because they reinvent rock music. Not because they are chasing trends. But because they remind you why you fell in love with music in the first place.
That’s exactly what Closer To The Sun by Tyketto does.
I recently sat down with Danny Vaughn for the second time on the Now Spinning Magazine Podcast, and during our conversation he said something that really stayed with me. The band didn’t want to make an album focused on darkness or negativity. They wanted to create something uplifting. Something that offered relief from the chaos around us.
This is the kind of record that makes you feel like it’s Friday night again and you’re waiting for the bus into town with your mates, wondering what adventures lie ahead. It reconnects you with that internal teenager we all still carry around somewhere inside us.
A Powerful Opening Statement
The album opens with “Higher Than High”, and what an opening it is.
There’s a real Zeppelin-inspired swagger running through the riff, complete with bluesy harmonica flourishes and a huge melodic chorus that instantly gets inside your head. It’s classic hard rock with warmth, groove and confidence.
Danny told me during the interview that the band saw this as the perfect way to “open the door” after a ten-year gap between albums — and he was absolutely right. It immediately tells you that Tyketto are not simply returning for nostalgia’s sake. They sound energised and inspired.
“Starts With A Feeling” follows with acoustic guitars sitting beautifully underneath a driving rhythm track. One thing Tyketto have always done brilliantly is balance power with light and shade, and that’s all over this album.
Danny Vaughn’s Best Vocal Performance?
I genuinely believe Danny Vaughn’s voice has never sounded better.
That might seem like a huge statement considering the legacy of Don’t Come Easy and songs like “Forever Young”, but there’s a confidence and emotional depth to his vocals here that feels extraordinary.
During our conversation Danny spoke openly about taking care of his voice over the years — diet changes, careful warm-ups, avoiding over-touring — and whatever the formula is, it’s working.
Tracks like “Bad For Good” and “We Rise” showcase that perfectly.
“We Rise” in particular absolutely floored me. It begins almost like an acoustic ballad before exploding into a fist-pumping anthem with massive stop-start riffs and soaring hooks. I literally wrote in my notes:
“I feel like I’m in my twenties again.”
And that’s the magic of this album.
The Title Track Is Something Special
Then we arrive at the title track: “Closer To The Sun”.
Wow.
This is the emotional centrepiece of the album and, for me, one of the finest songs Tyketto have ever recorded.
Roaring guitars. Dramatic drum patterns. A soaring chorus. A genuinely emotional guitar solo that serves the song rather than overpowering it.
But it’s Danny’s vocal performance that truly elevates this track into something extraordinary.
When I spoke to him about it, I told him I felt this song sits alongside “Forever Young” as one of the defining moments of his career — and I meant it.
There are moments during this song that genuinely gave me shivers.
Rock Music With Heart
Elsewhere, the album keeps shifting emotionally and musically.
“Don’t Know How It Is” brings in a swampy blues-rock shuffle full of feel-good swagger, while “Harleys and Indians (Riders In The Sky)” has a touch of The Who’s “Magic Bus” energy running through it.
“Hit Me Where It Hurts” is probably the heaviest track here, driven by a hard-hitting riff and another superb guitar solo from Harry Scott Elliott, whose playing throughout this album is absolutely stunning.
Then there’s “The Picture” — an epic ballad full of heartbreak, reflection and hope — followed by “Far And Away”, which carries a warm Doobie Brothers-style summer feel complete with beautiful violin work from Lizzie Prendergast.
Even while rain was hammering against my windows here in Cornwall, this track somehow made it feel like summer had arrived.
That’s what great music does.
The Brave – A Perfect Ending
The album closes with “The Brave”, another emotional high point.
There’s almost a Bruce Springsteen-like sense of humanity running through this song — uplifting, reflective and deeply heartfelt. Danny explained to me that the song was inspired by the ordinary people who kept society moving during the COVID years — nurses, delivery drivers, supermarket workers, all the people we suddenly realised truly mattered.
It’s a beautiful sentiment and a perfect way to close an album that feels so connected to real life.
Closer To The Sun isn’t trying to be fashionable.
It’s trying to make you feel something.
And in 2026, that feels more important than ever.
This is an album filled with melody, passion, outstanding musicianship and songs that genuinely lift your spirits. It reminds us that rock music can still heal, still inspire, and still make us feel alive.
Danny Vaughn said during our interview that the band wanted listeners to feel hopeful.
Mission accomplished.
If you love melodic rock with heart, soul and emotional honesty, you need this album in your life.
And please — don’t just stream it in the background while scrolling on your phone.
Buy the CD. Buy the vinyl. Sit down properly and experience it.
Thank you for all of your support
ORDER TYKETTO CLOSER TO THE SUN ON CD
