Could Have Been Me

The Struts exist in shameless, joyful debt to the glam rock tradition — Bowie and Queen and early Rod Stewart — and "Could Have Been Me" doubles down on that lineage with such commitment that the tribute becomes its own thing. Luke Spiller is a preposterous frontman in the best possible sense: theatrical beyond current fashion, voice full and satin-smooth, every syllable inhabited like he's performing for an arena even when the room is small. The song is an anthem of anti-regret, the narrator insisting on having lived fully rather than played it safe, the chorus designed for fists in the air and volume at level that makes conversation impractical. The production is big and unabashed — guitars stacked, drums cracking cleanly, the whole track radiating a specific British confidence that doesn't care if it reads as too much. "Could Have Been Me" plays before doing something difficult or after doing something brave, the sort of song that straightens your posture and makes moderate ambition feel insufficient. The Struts are not asking whether this kind of maximalism is still permissible; they've simply decided it is, and the conviction is contagious.