Released through East West Records on January 31, This Destination is Gary Kemp’s third studio album–following 2021’s INSOLO and 1995’s Little Bruises. Prior to embarking on a solo career, Kemp was the lead guitarist, principal songwriter, and co-founder of the chart-topping English new wave band Spandau Ballet. Since 2018, he's served as guitarist and vocalist in Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets–a psychedelic rock group founded by the Pink Floyd drummer in order to ‘capture the spirit’ of the legendary outfit's early music and bring it to a wider audience.
The Destination contains some of Kemp’s most passionate, heartfelt, and uplifting songwriting to date. An incredible cast of musicians contributed to the album, including prolific bassist Guy Pratt (who's co-hosted the Rockonteurs podcast with Kemp since 2020), keyboardist Toby Chapman, and composer John Metcalfe. The songs are expertly crafted and arranged, blending elements of pop, rock, and soul.
In addition to the standard two-channel stereo version, This Destination is also available to stream in Dolby Atmos–mixed by Steven Wilson. The immersive mix is as intricate and cinematic as you’d expect from Wilson, making full use of the spatial environment to pull the listener completely inside each song. Key elements such as the backing vocals, rhythm guitars, keyboards, and orchestration are frequently placed completely behind or above your head to absolutely stunning effect.
Atmospheric keyboards fade in from all around for the opening track “Borrowed Town,” with the sax positioned just left-of-center and electric guitar right-of-center. Gary Kemp’s voice is isolated in the center speaker, though it also projects out towards the side surrounds–yielding a greater sense of depth. During the chorus (“come on and save me from me…”), layered harmony vocals leap out of the rear speakers.
There’s an especially cool moment at around the three-minute mark, where all the instruments drop out except for the piano in the side speakers and keys circling overhead. The ending shows off the enhanced dynamic range of the Atmos mix, with the rhythm section absolutely exploding from upfront and lead guitar soaring from the front right speaker. A second set of backing vocals (“give me your village to live…”) pops up in the rear heights, while the synth brass moves around all four top speakers.
Moving into the soulful title track “This Destination,” backing vocals hover between the side surrounds and height array while chimes circle overhead. Keys from the left rear speaker alternate with rhythm guitar from the side right channel, with percussion pushed up into the rear heights. During the second verse, lead guitar pops up mostly in the front left height speaker.
“Put Your Head Up” kicks off with acoustic guitar in the front ‘phantom’ center, followed by electric guitar mostly in the side right speaker and organ from directly behind. Synthesizers float overhead, while the backing vocals again remain locked to the rear surrounds. The drum kit wraps around the listener, with the short guitar solo at around the two-minute mark sitting between the center and front height channels. At the climax, another set of the background vocals (“It’s got to be beauty…”) appears directly overhead.
Piano from upfront alternates with acoustic guitar in the side surrounds for “Take The Wheel,” while John Metcalfe’s strings appear largely from the rear. An electric guitar part hovers directly above the lead vocal from the front heights. The track ends with a soaring guitar solo, complimented by percussion from above.
Up next is one of my favorites on the album, the upbeat “Dancing In Bed.” The intertwining rhythm guitar parts stay upfront, with organ locked to side right and backing vocals completely confined to the height speakers. Keys later enter from the left rear, along with handclaps and percussion from above.
“Windswept Street (1978)” opens with percussion suspended between the front and side speakers, with keys upfront and a synthesizer circling the height array. When the chorus hits (“standing where the past and where the present compete…), Double-tracked harmonies envelop the listener from the rear surround channels. Throughout the second verse, backing vocals echo key phrases (“time goes by,” “informs the eye,” etc) from behind.
Acoustic guitar bursts from the side surrounds for “Johnny’s Coming Home,” while percussion floats overhead. Harmonies (“so sleep a little more…”) take up residence largely in the rear heights, while Kemp’s vocal springs forth from the center with striking clarity. Then, when the tempo changes for the bridge (“woke up on a train…”), the acoustic guitar moves up to the fronts and keys pop up in the sides.
“At The Chateau” really shows off the spatial mix, with the ambient intro slowly moving from the rear heights up to the front before the full band enters. Synth appears centered in the rear surrounds–directly behind the listener’s head–followed by acoustic guitars from the sides and percussion floating overhead. The ‘da da da’ vocals at around the two-minute mark appear completely isolated in the rear speakers.
The semi-autobiographical “Work’ is another standout track, again showcasing John Metcalfe’s orchestration. The strings appear isolated in the side surrounds, with different piano parts separated out between the front and rear channels. The song builds to a thrilling climax, with multiple layers of harmony vocals spread out behind and above the listener.
Moving into “Giving It Up,” acoustic guitar percolates from the sides and piano takes the rear. The height speakers contain just ambience during the first verse, but later spring to life with background vocals and horns. There’s a great moment at around three minutes in where all the instruments drop out, save for the acoustic strumming in the sides and Kemp’s vocal in the center channel.
This Destination concludes with “I Know Where I’m Going,” perhaps the most personal track on the album from a lyrical point-of-view. Strings engulf the listener from all angles, with the height speakers supplying atmospheric keys and percussion. This song also notably features throat-singing Mercury Prize-nominated performer Sam Lee.
The digital deluxe edition of This Destination augments the album with three bonus tracks: stereo-only acoustic renditions of Spandau Ballet’s mega-hits “True” (1983) and “Through The Barricades” (1986), plus a new composition “Boy” that has also been mixed in Dolby Atmos. The drums sound absolutely massive throughout this song, with the tom fills crashing all around the listener. Strings move up to the height array, with piano in the sides and keys from completely behind. At the very end, the synthesizer slowly moves clockwise around the room at ground-level as it fades out.
Overall, This Destination is easily one of my favorite new releases of 2025 thus far. Steven Wilson’s Dolby Atmos mix is definitely the best way to experience this album, regardless of whether you’re listening in spatial audio on a pair of AirPods or on a full-blown 12-channel home theater system. The only disappointment is that the immersive mix is exclusively available via streaming, rather than Blu-Ray disc or hi-res digital download.
The sound quality of the stream isn’t bad by any means, but there are moments where certain elements–such as the percussion and reverb returns placed up in the height speakers–come off as thin and lacking inner detail, likely as a result of the lower bitrate. Since East West Records is owned and distributed by Warner Music Group, perhaps this could be a candidate for Rhino’s Atmos Blu-Ray series? Even if such a release never comes to pass, I’m thrilled to have the album available in immersive audio and mixed by one of the best in the business.
Stream This Destination in Dolby Atmos on Apple Music and Tidal!
