Toronto-based ensemble Monkey House builds on their chart-topping success with Crashbox, a brilliantly crafted seventh album that showcases Emmy-winning songwriter and producer Don Breithaupt’s singular vision. Written and demoed over several years and recorded live off the floor at Noble Street Studios, Crashbox finds the band at the peak of their powers—blending jazz, rock, pop and R&B with world-class musicianship and razor-sharp songwriting.
Formed in 1992, Monkey House has steadily evolved into a global cult favorite. In 2012, Headquarters marked a turning point when Breithaupt solidified his core lineup—guitarist Justin Abedin, bassist Pat Kilbride and drummer Mark Kelso—and teamed up with producer Peter Cardinali and Grammy-winning engineer John “Beetle” Bailey. With Crashbox, these longtime collaborators reaffirm that their creative chemistry remains undiminished.
Breithaupt structured the album by fully developing each song in demo form before bringing it to the band for live, off-the-floor performance. After capturing that collective energy, arrangements were refined with horns, background vocals and guest appearances, resulting in a dynamic and spontaneous recording experience.
Guest contributors include guitarist Drew Zingg (Boz Scaggs) and trumpeter Michael Leonhart (Steely Dan), alongside vocalists Michael Dunston and Selena Evangeline. The result is an album that sparkles with contrasts: the bright, breezy New York–infused lead single “Someplace on Madison,” the sun-soaked “Sundaying,” and the title track—a musically complex yet irresistibly catchy critique of media-driven anxiety. Even darker explorations, like the funky “What’s Left of This World,” carry the band’s signature buoyancy.
All twelve tracks are original Breithaupt compositions, save for the delicate piano ballad “Disappear in Plain Sight,” penned by acclaimed songwriter Marc Jordan. Monkey House’s growing global fanbase has come to expect each release to top the last, and Crashbox delivers on that promise with renewed energy and sophistication.
