Album Review | Junk Drawer | Ready For The House

A dark, self-effacing portrayal of a modern life more alien than the one Damon Albarn and co declared 'rubbish' in 1993, Junk Drawer's debut arrives in the midst of a global pandemic. With much of the housebound world uncertain of its future, the timing couldn't be better.


Framed through the eyes of Junk Drawer's dynamic songwriting duo, brothers Stevie and Jake Lennox, 'Ready For The House' is a record not so much searching for answers, as accepting that there aren’t any. Reflecting on a turbulent few years for the band personally, at times the lyrics across '...House' make for a heartbreaking listen. Like on the Sisyphean 'Mumble Days', when Jake sings, "An anecdote that's well-refined touches on my brittle mind, and stomach acid hurts my singing voice". For years the brothers have suffered from poor mental health, and while this record refuses to offer any definitive solutions, there's a definite refusal to turn the lights off completely.


Woozy opener 'What I've Learned / What I'm Learning' ushers you into Junk Drawer's home with fragile hope.

"Sometimes I dream of coloured worlds of no hurt.
Surround me in warmth & bright, sparkling, all-knowing glow.
All so distinct you stop just to absorb the thought
that all matters & does not, but none of it can be bought."

Subtle synths guide Brian Coney's fuzz-bass and lackadaisical riffs towards the window, bathing them in the light of another day; but you know it can't last, and just as we're warming up to the idea of going outside, a post-punk melee ensues. "I grasp at trains of thought, ever present but somehow not...".


There's even room for some tragi-comic tidbits, with Lennox unafraid to distance Junk Drawer from their realist peers when he sings, "Allow the many thoughts undulate into themselves, you into twists and turns, the likes of which you’d only read in a Richard Madeley novel."


Elsewhere, 'INFJ' highlights just how far Junk Drawer have come from their earliest work. At 8 minutes long, it's a self indulgent, late night tour around 'Ready For The House's darkest edges, fearless and violent. It sets you up for the cold claustrophobia of 'Temporary Day', a collision of atmosphere and simplicity. It gives the first concrete indication that everything is, perhaps, going to be okay. The fog is lifting.


Closer 'Pile', is Junk Drawer's masterpiece thus far. Inspired by Stevie's attempts to get home after a gig without his medication, 'Pile' embodies every hazy thought, sleepless night and the inescapable angst of the age we live in. "I've lost myself, to myself, I'm gonna miss me when I'm gone." Junk Drawer strike the rare balance of the universal, whilst remaining entirely personal. It all falls apart in the climactic outro, but somehow, that's okay.


For all it's inherent unrest, 'Ready For The House' refuses to revel in it's sadness, nor shy away from it. Instead, Junk Drawer have painted a picture of Earth many will recognise, but few will openly admit to knowing. Across this record, the band fight back. They do so with kindness. By choosing to get up in the morning. By listening to Captain Beefheart and finding small moments in the day where it feels a little easier.

"I'm going to pay my friends a compliment today and I'll try to be more."

Taylor Johnson