Falcon Jane - Healthy Junkies
Falcon Jane is back just weeks after sharing 'The Other Moon' this time we have the gorgeous song 'Heaven' with a splendidly matched video. === Healthy Junkies made their first appearance here just three or so weeks ago and return with 'Something In The Way' and although we don't often feature cover versions the band superbly stamp their own mark on this Nirvana song.
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Ontario-based project Falcon Jane, led by lead singer and songwriter Sara May, are sharing their glistening new single, 'Heaven'. Alongside the new music, which follows the single, 'The Other Moon', Sara is announcing details of her new record, Faith which is due for release via Pittsburgh-based label, Darling Recordings on November 13, 2020.
Faith serves as the follow-up to Falcon Jane’s debut album Feelin’ Freaky, which firmly established May’s self-labeled “plez-rock”. Still keeping some of those previously pleasant summer vibes, Faith sees May steer towards a darker spiral—one that personifies the often isolating meanderings that come with figuring it all out. “A lot of the songs on the album are written from me to me,” she explains. “It’s about trusting in yourself and believing in the thoughts and feelings in your own mind.”
The new single 'Heaven' presents this new sonic palette astutely with May looking to examine the dark as well as the light. It was written after Sara spent some time at Neyaashiinigmiing 27, a reserve in Ontario, with the track sourcing much of its influence by the nature around her, from the pink sunsets to the forests, looming rock formations, and serene waters of the Georgian Bay. "It is in these places where I feel most like myself, most at peace, most in love," explains May. "'Heaven' is a love song for my partner, Andrew, who was with me on that trip, walking with me out into the pink lake, but it is also a love song for the natural world."
"As humans, we have such a flawed connection with nature," she continues. "We love and worship it, but our lifestyles so casually disrespect and destroy it. I think that’s where the dark and semi-spooky chorus in the song came from. I wanted the chorus to feel as if a choir of angels was singing it. But to me, those voices sound very grounded, so I think they are angels on earth, maybe even underground, rather than in heaven."
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Healthy Junkies are everything that epitomizes the indie punk spirit - driven, authentic, and capable of causing a riot at any moment. As they prepare to release new album ‘Forever on the Road’ on 25th Sept, the band have unveiled a haunting cover of Nirvana’s ‘Something in the Way’ inspired by the time they met Krist Novoselic in Seattle during their U.S. tour in 2018.
As a band that have toured relentlessly since their formation in 2011, until the global lockdown of 2020, they came into the new record still firmly locked in the groove. Their own fuzz drenched take on ‘Something in the Way’ follows single ‘Last Day In L.A.’, which Alt Press described as ‘‘a kickass rocker that’s blindingly great’.
The album was made during the aforementioned period of quarantine and has reflections of recent tours and life beyond the road. It offers a compelling record more akin to chapters of a thrilling novel rather than bubblegum throwaway rock n pop. Lead singer Nina Courson shines throughout with her Parisian drawl inflecting the Junkies’ brand of rock n roll with tones of 60s femme fatales Nico and Brigitte Bardot.
This group of runaways from Paris and Greater London united together to write songs and feed their passion for music as a life-saving exercise after narrowly escaping a youth filled by gangsters, abuse and the like. Phil Honey-Jones is Nina’s writing partner and plays guitars and sings on many tracks too. Their bond was firmly formed almost a decade ago through music as a form of healing self-expression, creating their own world within a world, turning their personal horrors into sonic beauty, and out of the bizarre madness of the global pandemic have conjured a record sure to catapult them to the larger stages of next year’s major festivals. The band also feature bass player Dave Whitmore from Maidenhead, Berks who provides that extra bit of madness and creativity needed to cement their destinies together and jettison them on the journey that brought them to the recording of ‘Forever On The Road’. The drums on this album were provided by an anonymous American drummer during lockdown and mixed by Phil at home. This was the only way the album could be created during these restricted times.
On this album they have further pushed the boundaries of genre using hip hop beats, piano and string arrangements, horror film style soundtracks and even reggae alongside goth, punk and grunge. The album is the soundtrack to their USA tour of autumn 2018.
Healthy Junkies also bring similar people together and have been running a monthly London night called Punk & Roll Rendezvous for nine years, which includes an annual free three day festival with 25+ bands. The event has always been held at the Unicorn pub in Camden but due to Covid-19 the band are running the festival online this year. The fanbase for this band as well as their Punk & Roll night keep growing as they continue to popularize a community spirit, the sharing of ideas, giving artists an opportunity to perform and somewhere to hang out. This cast of misfits have built a beautiful tribe of punks and rockers and look set to expand their loyal devotees as they continue to hit their stride.
Healthy Junkies are known to the niche college and punk scenes across UK, Europe and US and have enjoyed coverage and airplay from KEXP to KROQ to BBC London and BBC Jersey, Tom Robinson’s fresh on the net on 3 separate occasions to ARTE TV, BT Sport (for the televised champions league) and magazines like Big Cheese, Vive Le Rock, Louder Than War and Big Takeover in the USA.
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