For those unaware, on June 6th, Alma Records will release Crashbox, the seventh album from the internationally acclaimed jazz/pop ensemble Monkey House.

Formed in 1992 by Emmy-winning songwriter and producer Don Breithaupt, the group gained momentum with Headquarters in 2012, marking a key moment when Breithaupt solidified his core lineup of Toronto musicians--guitarist Justin Abedin, bassist Pat Kilbride, and drummer Mark Kelso--and partnered with his trusted studio team: producer Peter Cardinali and Grammy-winning engineer John ‘Beetle’ Bailey.

Crashbox demonstrates these collaborators are still at their best. Breithaupt explains the process: writing and demoing songs for years before the band hears them. After selecting the material, they record live off the floor at Noble Street Studios, refining arrangements and incorporating horns, background vocals, and guest stars. Production is compared to a rollercoaster ride, where all the prep work leads to an exciting descent.

Some guest artists on Crashbox have a long history with Monkey House, including guitarist Drew Zingg (Boz Scaggs) and trumpeter Michael Leonhart (Steely Dan). They’re joined by vocalists Michael Dunston and Selena Evangeline. The album blends jazz, rock, pop, and R&B. The mood of Crashbox is brighter than the often dark Remember the Audio (2022), though some tracks, like What’s Left of This World, explore dark themes in a lively, funky way. The lead single "Someplace on Madison" offers a breezy New York tour, while Sundaying is a sunny ode to relaxation. The title track, a musically complex yet catchy composition, symbolizing how media keeps us on edge.

All 12 tracks on Crashbox are Breithaupt originals, with the exception of the piano ballad Disappear in Plain Sight by Marc Jordan. Monkey House’s growing global fanbase eagerly anticipates each release. Breithaupt says, The goal is to outdo ourselves every time, and with Crashbox, that goal is achieved.

1. Return of the Mayfly
2. Someplace On Madison
3. Crashbox
4. Disappear in Plain Sight
5. What’s Left Of This World
6. Sundaying
7. Smoke ’Em If You Got ’Em
8. Bring The Stars Down
9. You Just Don’t Know It Yet
10. Chasing The Muse
11. Friday Night Jam
12. Feeling You Breathe

Emmy-winning songwriter Don Breithaupt, featuring Michael Leonhart (Steely Dan), Drew Zingg (Boz Scaggs), and a stellar cast of guest artists come together to first bring us the smoothness of Return of the Mayfly and the low slung coolness of Someplace On Madison, and then we are brought forth the storytelling within the sumptuous title cut Crashbox, the pure gossamer of Disappear in Plain Sight, and both the mid-tempo funk-n-rock of What’s Left Of This World and the saxophone-hued, easygoing beauty Sundaying.

Tracked live at Noble Street Studios in Toronto and meticulously crafted with longtime producer Peter Cardinali and Grammy-winning engineer John ‘Beetle’ Bailey, along next on this Steely Dan-esque recording is the rhythmically dutiful Smoke ’Em If You Got ’Em and the elegant piano balladry of Bring The Stars Down and they are in turn backed by the free flowing You Just Don’t Know It Yet, the all-embracingly ambient Chasing The Muse, the new set rounding out on the gracefully-honed Friday Night Jam, closing on another piano ballad, this time the atmospherically-imbibed, wholly impassioned Feeling You Breathe.

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