Peter Doherty
Felt Better Alive
Strap Originals [2025]

“Doherty trades chaos for charm on his most reflective solo album yet.”
Album Overview: Peter Doherty first captured the spotlight as co-frontman of The Libertines, a band whose reckless charm and poetic punk ethos helped ignite the early-2000s UK indie revival. Between stints with Babyshambles, solo records, and various collaborations, Doherty carved out a role as one of the most enigmatic and romantic figures in British music. These days, he’s living a slower life in Normandy, France, a world away from the chaos of his earlier years. Still, the music keeps coming—All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade, The Libertines’ 2024 reunion record, was their first in nearly a decade. Now, Doherty steps out solo once again.
Felt Better Alive is his first full-length solo album in nine years, and it sounds like the work of a man who’s made peace with his past. The record is full of tender, often off-kilter vignettes that blur autobiography and fiction. It’s inward-looking without feeling self-absorbed, light on its feet but emotionally grounded. With help from a cast of collaborators—and a few archival tracks—the album plays like a slow walk through memory and imagination, each song shaped by time, place, and reflection.
Musical Style: This is Doherty at his most understated. Acoustic guitars dominate the landscape, peppered with folky flourishes, vintage pop melodies, and just a hint of theatrical oddity. There’s a loose, lived-in feel to the recordings—some sound like they were tracked on a lazy afternoon, others nod toward old chanson records or dusty vaudeville pop. It’s charmingly rough around the edges and better for it.
Evolution of Sound: If Up the Bracket and Down in Albion were wild-eyed bursts of youth, Felt Better Alive is the sound of someone catching their breath. The youthful chaos is gone, replaced by measured storytelling and more careful moods. Doherty’s voice has settled—still unmistakably his, but softer now, less desperate. The urgency of old has faded, but what’s left is more thoughtful, maybe even more lasting.
Artists with Similar Fire: If you’re into the narrative wit of Ray Davies, the whimsical detours of Robyn Hitchcock, or the bruised intimacy of Elliott Smith, this album will speak your language. There’s also a McCartney-in-his-garden vibe to the arrangements—think Ram or McCartney II—and shades of Nick Lowe’s late-career elegance.
Pivotal Tracks: The title track, “Felt Better Alive,” kicks things off with a jaunty bounce, balancing its lyrical melancholy with a playful swing. “Calvados” feels like the album’s heart—quiet, observational, and rich with local color, it captures Doherty’s present while glancing back at who he used to be. “The Day the Baron Died” adds a jazzy strut and dark humor, while “Poca Mahonney’s” brings a scrappy jolt of energy that breaks up the introspection. “Empty Room” closes the album as it offers a raw, stripped-back glimpse of Doherty’s evolving writing, rounding out the record with a personal touch.
Lyrical Strength: Doherty has always been a poet at heart, and here, his pen feels more precise. He conjures settings and characters with ease, whether it’s a dusty bar in rural France or an old friend remembered through a haze. His lyrics are full of small details—rituals, objects, place names—that make the songs feel lived-in. There’s a blur between what’s real and what’s imagined, but that’s always been part of his charm. He’s eccentric, sure, but he knows what he’s doing—and these songs reward close listening.
Final Groove: Felt Better Alive doesn’t scream for attention—it saunters in, sits down, and starts telling stories. It’s a quietly captivating return from an artist who once thrived in chaos but now finds inspiration in stillness. The record doesn’t try to relive old glories—it builds something new from their ashes. It’s the sound of a survivor who’s still got songs to sing, and if this album is any indication, Peter Doherty’s most interesting work might still lie ahead.
THE LIBERTINES REVIEW HISTORY
All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade (2024) / Anthems For Doomed Youth (2015)
PETER DOHERTY LINKS
Website | Facebook | Instagram
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