Healthy Junkies – Box Of Chaos

This is Healthy Junkies third album since their inception in 2009, they have retained the core of the band, French vocalist Nina Courson and British guitarist Phil Honey-Jones, and have bought bassist Nim Sadot and drummer Tony Alda into the fold to produce their finest work to date. Box Of Chaos was released earlier this year on STP Records, so it seems I’m a bit late to the party. I hate being late to a party, especially when it’s one that is this good.

The album opens with Nice ‘N Sleazy, no relation to The Stranglers track of the same name, this is a stunning opening track, the enticing vocals and searing lead guitar build up my expectations, and I’m happy to report they are met throughout this impressive fourteen track album. Box Of Chaos is lyrically and musically impressive, across the album they demonstrate a range of influences that results in a glorious hybrid of sleazy punk rock. Lyrically they are not a band afraid to tackle important issues head on, for me the strongest track is Je Suis Free, a vigorous defence of artistic freedom inspired by the Charlie Hebdo shootings, this is a hard hitting number that builds to a defiant refrain.

Their dedication to their cause is clearly paying off, the combination of incandescent guitar riffs, breathless vocals and self assured delivery means that Box Of Chaos is their best album to date, to me it sounds like all the stars have aligned for this release as this is a very impressive album that needs to be heard, and more to the point it should be. Healthy Junkies are almost perpetually on tour in the UK, on the strength of this album I sincerely recommend checking this band out, I certainly will be.

Box Of Chaos is available from the usual sources and tour dates can be found here