The Struts have released I Hate How Much I Want You, from their upcoming album Strange Days. The song follows in the glitter-dusted footsteps of Another Hit Of Showmanship – which featured a guest appearance from Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. – and the title track, which benefitted from an appearance by pop titan Robbie Williams.
This time the band have brought in two more big guns to enliven proceedings: Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott and guitarist Phil Collen.
“When Luke called me up and asked if I fancied lending my voice to The Struts new album I said yes before I even knew what he wanted,” says Elliott. “I’ve been a massive fan of the band since I first heard them so it’s not just a pleasure, it’s an honour to be part of this ‘born in Covid’ album, and what a song! Makes me feel like a kid again every time I hear it!”
“I loved the sound of The Struts since the moment I first heard them," says Collen. "So it gives me great pleasure that Luke and the boys asked myself and Joe to participate in some mutual, mischievous, explosive rowdiness."
Spiller adds, "Phil and Joe really gave the song so much personality to the point it sounds like a timeless glam rock stomper that your mum sang along to in the 70's."
Indeed it does. For I Hate How Much I Want You is an absolute monster, a sozzled celebration of glam rock's seventies' heyday with a beat bigger than a barn and a chorus to match.
The album was recorded in Los Angeles with John Levine, who previously worked with The Struts on their 2018 album Young & Dangerous. Studio sessions took place during lockdown, with the band moving into Levine's home for the duration of the recording.
Luke Spiller reveals more about the experience of recording under lockdown conditions in a new podcast, in which he discusses the album with Elliott and Collen. The three talk about how Strange Days came together, how a drunken night out let to Phil joining Def Leppard, the surprising country origins of Armageddon It, and the truth about Gene Simmons and Diana Ross.
You can listen to the first part of the podcast below, while Strange Days is released on October 16.
Look out for a special feature on The Struts in a forthcoming issue of Classic Rock.
