Prior to hearing this single I had heard only positive things about Whanganui band DRXNES and having now played this I can see exactly why. This is a highly polished, highly produced number which sounds as if it has come out of a top American band and studio as opposed to little old Aotearoa. There are a huge amount of influences inside a song which is only 4 ½ minutes long, from the likes of Linkin Park to Limp Bizkit, Tool to Slipknot, and so much more as well. Even played at a low volume one understands this is an incredibly powerful, heavy and loud number, with the atmospheric heartbeat Floydian intro giving no indication whatsoever of what is going to happen.
They soon crunch into the groove, with the drums providing the cut through needed, as the guitars and bass are often playing as one, like a well-honed machine, creating a bouncing groove that is impossible not to move along to. There is a real wall of sound being created, but what makes this stand out are the multiple sections the band has put into just one small piece of music, with one piece near the end sounding as if they have been playing close attention to recent Sepultura, with guitars going down and dirty. But there are other sections when instead of being sung, the vocals come across far more as if it is Fred Durst from 20 years ago.
The contrast of styles and tempo within Junkie means the listener never gets bored, as while it is always intense there are different levels within that. This is a song which really moves and changes, so that one is never sure where it is going go, as just when it appears to be settled in, it takes flight and changes again. The guitars are always part of the whole, sometimes shifting and providing different melodic interchanges, but always very connected with the song as opposed to being something which is unnecessarily showy, and it certainly makes one think this is a well-oiled machine.
One can imagine that this is massive when played live, as here it has been polished within an inch of its life, while never losing the passion and energy, yet at a gig this will intentionally blow people away. To get the best result, put it on and crank it up loud, real loud.
Rating: 10/10
