The title of this post comes directly from Damian himself.
He gave it to me during the Q&A he did with his producer, Giacomo Smith, only a few days after releasing his debut album Mission Creep.
When Damian Lewis released Mission Creep in June 2023, many people saw it as a debut album — something new, unexpected, and exciting. But for fans like us, who followed the live shows very closely, listened carefully to what Damian said, and watched how the music evolved over time, it quickly became clear that Mission Creep was not the end of the story. It was the beginning.
From the very start, Damian spoke — and acted — like someone already moving forward.
The first real hint of a second album came just a few days after Mission Creep’s release. Damian marked the moment with a special mini-gig preceded by a Q&A with his producer Giacomo Smith and followed by a vinyl/CD signing at Rough Trade East in London. It was a small, intimate event — and I was there.
That evening, Damian talked openly about music. He said he was still writing songs and still coming to rehearsals with new ideas. He did not sound like someone who had just finished a long project and was ready to move on. He sounded like someone already thinking about what comes next.
At one point, he smiled and said:
“Yeah. Mission Creeeeep. Still creeping. I think there will be another album.”
At the time, it felt playful and spontaneous. Looking back now, it feels like the beginning of everything that followed.
Mission Creep has a warmth and closeness that feels almost physical. That was deliberate. Damian, coming from a busking and live-performance background, wanted the record to feel natural and alive.
They recorded to tape to preserve that in-the-room atmosphere — exactly the sound he was after.
But he was equally clear about one thing: the next album might go somewhere else. He didn’t yet know how it would sound. The shape was still forming.
From the summer of 2023 onward, new originals began appearing in the set lists. Audiences heard songs like She Make Me Change, Pentonville Prison (formerly Fate), Traffic Jam, No Man’s Land (formerly Love Bomb), Question Mark, Suck My Blood, Grey at the Temple, Naughty and others.
Here is Damian performing Traffic Jam at the Old Market, Brighton in the UK in September 2023.
What made this process special was its openness. Damian did not hide these songs until they were finished. He played them live, changed them, and tested them in front of audiences. Some songs returned again and again. Some appeared for a time and then he restem them. I believe this made the live shows feel like part of the creative journey and it was terrific to witness the journey up close!
We weren’t just watching concerts.
We were watching an album being built.
I interviewed Damian in Norwich during the second leg of the UK tour in 2024, and he put words to what many of us, fans, had sensed. You can see my interview with Damian in its entirety below.
He described Mission Creep as intimate, tender, rooted in singer-songwriter traditions with touches of blues and jazz. The new material, he said, carried more drive — more rock and roll, more blues-rock, with hints of indie, post-punk and new wave.
He was clearly enjoying the push.
He also explained the evolving set lists. As the newer, faster songs entered the evening, they moved earlier, gradually reshaping the “psychology of the evening.” What began as a Mission Creep tour increasingly leaned toward album two.
And the list kept changing — naturally, creatively, in motion.
Here is Damian performing Pentonville Prison at Boisdale of Canary Wharf in May 2024.
Damian said that the set list was always changing, and that this was a natural part of the process. This helps explain why some songs later disappeared from the set. This is how the second album has evolved and taken shape – in front of our very eyes. Thrilling!
The Ireland gigs in late 2025 felt like an important moment. During shows in Cork, Dublin, and Limerick, Damian introduced two new songs: Sweet Chaos and Advent. These songs felt extremely well placed in the set. You can read my detailed report on the mini-tour here.
At the same time, several songs that fans had grown to love during the second leg of the UK tour were not performed. These included She Make Me Change, Pentonville Prison, Question Mark, Suck My Blood, A Man Called Sal, Grey at the Temple, and Naughty. When we asked him about the songs not performed in Ireland, Damian said they were always changing the set list. Still, the Ireland shows felt more focused. It seemed like he decided which songs truly belonged together.
Here is Damian performing “No Man’s Land” (formerly Love Bomb) in Dolan’s Warehouse in Limerick during his mini- tour in Ireland. Some of us fell in love with this song – even without being able to understand the lyrics in their entirety.
And while we are not 100% sure which songs will end up on the second album, the best guess, as mentioned above, is that the songs played during the Ireland tour are strong candidates.
These likely include:
Traffic Jam
No Man’s Land
Sweet Chaos
Advent
This does not mean that other songs are gone forever. Some may be on the album, some may return later, change form, or appear on future projects. But right now, these four songs feel closest to the heart of album two. They may also be the first few singles from the second album.
I am also fairly sure Damian casually let the album title slip in conversation… but I’m staying quiet about that.
But no — it isn’t Mission Creeeeep
And the story hasn’t gone quiet since Ireland either — Damian was the guest on the “Fanning on Whelan’s” show on Virgin Media 2 in Ireland and he and the band have recently played at a Sky Arts dinner party in London. Hopefully it won’t be long before some official album news follows.
We know that the second album has been worked on in the studio. In my Norwich interview, Damian said the songs were already recorded and that he was mixing singles at that time.
Here’s an Instagram post by the band’s guitarist Dave Archer from the Durham Studios where they recorded at least some of the songs.
Damian described his creative process in detail to me. Songs usually begin with ideas and themes, then move to guitar or piano, and then to the band. The band is encouraged to create their own parts. Later, in the studio, they begin removing elements to find the right balance.
He compared himself to a chef, with many talented musicians contributing ideas, while he makes the final decisions.
Damian also spoke about adding extra sounds for the second album. He said he asked Giacomo Smith to arrange horn and string parts for some songs. Damian even hummed the melodies to him and explained which instruments he wanted. This suggests the second album may have a richer and more colorful sound, while still keeping a live-band feel. And he’s recently had a violinist in the band, the fantastic Úna Palliser, hinting that there may be some violin (my favorite sound of all!) on the second album. Yes!
There were also reports linking Damian with songwriter Guy Chambers. The story The story originated with The Sun, which is not always the most reliable source, so — so I did some digging of my own.
Firstly, the specific assertion that the pair worked on a track titled “The Night We Called It a Day” seems doubtful. The song is performed by Amelie — who has toured both as a support act and as a member of Damian’s band — and is credited to her and Chambers as co-writers.
But beyond that, several signs point toward a real collaboration. Damian is listed as a recent client on Chambers’ studio website, and Chambers’ biography at Stephen Budd Music Management notes production work for Damian last year. Damian has also thanked Sleeper Studios — Chambers’ West London base — along with producer Steve Power, a long-time Chambers associate in an Instagram post.
Taken together, that feels substantial.
If true, it suggests Damian may have explored new songwriting dynamics while keeping his own artistic voice firmly at the center.
If I had to speculate, I would place my bet on Sweet Chaos and Advent — the two new songs Damian performed on his mini-tour in Ireland — as possible results of that collaboration.
And maybe it all started with that Christmas party jam
During the shows in Ireland, Damian also mentioned that the second album is planned for March 2026. Of course, release schedules can shift, and with no single out yet, it might slide slightly later.
But the direction is clear.
The album is close.
Mission Creep proved Damian is serious about music — not as a side note, but as a creative life. What we’re seeing now is that life gaining strength and definition.
Mission Creeeeep.
Still creeping.
Still growing.
And absolutely worth the wait…
Here’s Damian performing his newest original Sweet Chaos at Cyprus Avenue, Cork in Ireland.
Watch this space and damian-lewis.com for updates on the second album!
