Belfast quartet Junk Drawer announces debut album ‘Ready For The House’, out via Irish indie label Art For Blind on April 24th. Channelling the likes of Pavement, Silver Jews, Beak> and more with their shape-shifting sound, the four-piece veer between slacker-rock, post-punk, krautrock and swirling psych across 7 sprawling, chaotic vignettes.
The announcement comes alongside the release of motorik new single ‘Temporary Day’. Built around a propulsive bassline, drum-beat and organ drone fuzzed-out guitars poke in and out as you get locked into its meandering, off-kilter groove.
Whilst the music across the record conforms to the abstract nature of the genre influences, the themes offer a blunt catharsis. Lyrical duties are split between brothers Jake and Stevie Lennox, the fraternal link resulting in sentiment that is two sides of the same coin. Both relate, with varying viewpoints, to similar ideas of malaise & self-worth, showcasing the transience of mental illness and touching upon the fragmented, distorted narrative that it brings with it. The early/mid-Twenties personality crisis is very much a prevailing mood.
Listen to ‘Temporary Day’ – BELOW:
Jake’s lyrical inclination tends towards the poetic, and he’s at the helm on ‘Temporary Day’. It chronicles a struggle with sexual identity and eating disorders, and the strain of the constant internalisation of these issues on mental health. As he expands: “‘Temporary Day’ is about having a temporary day of relief from all the horrible feelings I usually have. The fog ascends briefly & I can think clearly for a time. Also about my face not being puffy from burst blood vessels because I hadn’t thrown up in a day or two.”
Jake no longer suffers from bulimia, and it is from this viewpoint of healing that the record is best understood. Though the subjects tackled are darkly personal on the whole, the writing of the album was therapeutic for the group, and at moments of warmth and colour, this hope is felt.
The four-piece have had a lot of acclaim in their native Ireland, becoming the first DIY act ever to win a Northern Ireland Music Award for Best Single, as well as live slots with icons in Mclusky, Built To Spill and Grandaddy. They’re also responsible for spearheading a community of Irish grassroots artists with vinyl compilation ‘A Litany of Failures’, which has become an institution.
Sharing instruments during sets, each member of the band is a multi-instrumentalist, and they are: Stevie Lennox (Guitar, Synth & Vocals), Jake Lennox (Guitar, Synth, Bass, Drums & Vocal), Brian Coney (Guitar & Bass) and Rory Dee (Drums, Guitar, Bass, Synth, Piano & Backing Vocals).
‘Ready For The House’ was produced by Chris Ryan (Just Mustard) and is out via Art For Blind on April 24th. New single ‘Temporary Day’ is out March 5th.
Live Dates
March 20 – Plugd, Cork w/Robocobra Quartet
March 21 – Pharmacia, Limerick w/Robocobra Quartet
April 17 – Black Box, Belfast
April 18 – The Model, Sligo
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