Derek & The Dirt – Faster (2024)

There’s a fire that won’t go out — not yet.

Some records aren’t just snapshots in time — they linger, they speak to you long after their release. Faster, the second reunion album by Derek & the Dirt, is one of those. Though it’s been out for a while now, I still find myself returning to it regularly — and that says a lot. Once a staple of the Belgian rock scene, the band sounds as relevant today as they ever have. Perhaps even more so.

The title Faster might be misleading: this isn’t a faster version of their sound, but rather an album about how quickly life slips by, and about the urge to still make something meaningful. That sense of urgency is tangible in every track, though nothing feels rushed. Every detail seems carefully chosen — the tone, the tempo, the lyrics, the guitar lines — all spot on.

Opener “Deep Purple Is My Heart” hits hard. A raw, emotional tribute to Ronny Verbiest, full of melancholy, grit, and loyalty. It doesn’t race, but it cuts deep — and it sets the tone right away. What follows are muscular, energetic tracks like “Living In A Song” and “Act of Love”, brimming with drive and sharp edges. The album offers a diverse palette: rough blues rock, brooding ballads, a dash of garage. Never polished — always real.

What strikes me most is the honesty. Derek’s (Dirk Dhaenens) lyrics are personal, sometimes painful, but always genuine. “Sixteen Times Four” touches on growing older — not avoided or glossed over, but embraced head-on. Guitarist Pim De Wolf shines throughout: sharp, melodic, always serving the song. On “Cut Out” and “Going Back To The Kid”, the past and present intertwine — though not every track lands equally, the intent is always clear.

The closing track, “The Man In The Sea”, is understated and reflective — a fitting end that echoes the band’s more acoustic moments from the Fourplay era. No dramatic finale, just a quiet, honest farewell.

Faster isn’t a grand comeback record trying to outdo the past. It’s a heartfelt, lived-in album from a band that knows exactly who they are and still has something to say. And even today, that’s absolutely worth hearing.

Tracklist

A1 Deep Purple Is My Heart
A2 Living In A Song
A3 Act Of Love
A4 Stay Who You Are
A5 Sixteen Times Four
A6 Cut Out
A7 Last Sigarette Stub
B1 When Our Summer Comes
B2 Going Back To The Kid
B3 Faster
B4 I Made You Cry
B5 The Man In The Sea

Vinyl Specs

Streaming

Links

https://www.discogs.com/release/32703060-Derek-The-Dirt-Faster

https://www.waxlog.com/collection/cave/artist-d/release/1880286435/derek-&-the-dirt-faster