Ask any skinhead band who’s ever toured in a rusty Transit, or any punk crew who got lost on the way to the gig — they’ll tell you: everybody has a Spinal Tap moment. The wrong town, the dodgy soundcheck, the exploding drummer, the Stonehenge prop that comes out the wrong size. Tap weren’t just a parody, they nailed the absurd truths of band life. And that’s why, forty years after This Is Spinal Tap turned mockumentary into mythology, the joke still hits.
Now, the “loudest band in England” are back with The End Continues: their fourth studio album and the soundtrack to the brand-new sequel film. It’s part parody, part nostalgia trip, and surprisingly, part solid rock record.
Parody meets pedigree
The album mixes nine new songs with four reimagined classics and ropes in some heavyweight guests. Elton John goes full glam on ‘Stonehenge,’ Paul McCartney giggles through a reworked ‘Cups and Cakes,’ and country stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood reinvent ‘Big Bottom’ as a honky-tonk duet. Juvenile? Yes. Brilliant? Absolutely.
The new tracks lean into age and mortality with a grin. ‘Let’s Just Rock Again’ is synth-heavy encouragement for the grey-haired mosh pit. ‘The Devil’s Just Not Getting Old’ imagines Satan still chomping beef and dodging varicose veins. And then there’s ‘Rockin’ in the Urn’ – maybe the most perfect Spinal Tap song title ever.
Film connection
Directed once more by Rob Reiner, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues follows the band through one last gig. On screen we get Nigel’s cheese-shop guitars, Derek’s glue museum mishaps, and David’s career in podcast hold music. The soundtrack doubles as both comedy and rock show, with riffs tight enough to remind you these guys aren’t just actors playing a band – they’ve become a real one.
The End Continues doesn’t match the raw punch of Hell Hole or the sheer dumb swagger of the original Big Bottom. But it doesn’t need to. This is a victory lap, a send-off, a chance for Tap to laugh at themselves while we laugh with them. And if you’ve ever been in a band — punk, ska, Oi!, whatever — you’ll hear echoes of your own disasters here.
Releasedate: 12-09-2025 | Label: Interscope | Website
Tracklist:
01. Nigel’s Poem
02. Let’s Just Rock Again
03. (Listen to the) Flower People (with Elton John)
04. Brighton Rock
05. The Devil’s Just Not Getting Old
06. Cups and Cakes (with Paul McCartney)
07. I Kissed a Girl
08. Angels
09. Judge and Jury
10. Rockin’ in the Urn
11. Blood to Let
12. Stonehenge (with Elton John)
