Good Health Good Wealth: Album Review

Good Health Good Wealth: This Time Next Year We’ll Be Millionaires.

(self released)

Out now – BUY HERE

Vinyl | CD | DL | Streaming

Our Score

Having delighted crowds at the summer festivals this year, London based duo Good Health Good Wealth have just released their debut album to complement the tracks we’ve already been dancing around venues to over the past couple of years.

Good Health Good Wealth’s This Time Next Year We’ll Be Millionaires is a seven-track album – a song for each day of the week, starting with Full Circle and begins with East Londoner Bruce Breakey declaring it’s Wednesday (‘A guilt free fried chicken shop day’). This opening track sets the scene for what’s to follow as he goes on to have a one-sided chat about having a beer, questioning one or two issues he has with the highway code and the need to consider some new clothes.

This is a debut album that sits comfortably with the duo’s previous releases and continues the theme they’ve set themselves to document their navigation through life and their pursuit of happiness. Closed shops that may once have been part of their lives as teenagers, pubs, pool tables, fast food restaurants, financial struggles, drinking, gambling, partying and of course dealing with relationships that may have slowly faded away are all covered here. The good times, the bad times, the mundane and the celebratory times that are the ingredients that make up all of our lives are all covered here to. It may sound glum but the message here is that things will certainly get better. It’s an album of reflection that many of us can relate to.

There won’t be too many articles about this East London duo that don’t make a comparison with The Streets, Antony Szmierek or even Baxter Dury. Every now and then though, when Bruce’s spoken word narrative breaks into song, you can hear he has a voice that many other vocalists of a similar nature lack. The sexy dance beats (and guitar) from Lithuanian born Simon Kuzmickas that complement the voice are also an integral part of these songs. Good Health Good Wealth’s music is joyous and uplifting yet tinged with regret and a little sadness that tell us all a familiar story.

These songs don’t preach or judge. Observing the song writers own surroundings and lifestyle choices by discussing these issues over some cool dance beats is enough for many of us. It’s an album we can laugh, wine, dine and sing along to whilst simultaneously reminding ourselves of our own journey through life. We’ll find ourselves memorising bits of this whilst simultaneously losing ourselves and dancing along to without a care in the world.

There’s humour hidden casually under a lot of this as well (Phil Lynott, The Fonz and Victor Moses get name checked during the album), It’s upbeat and full of well-crafted emotional wordplay from the frontman that sit amongst the tunes with ease.

It may not be a glamorous world we live in but at least it’s still one we can all still dance along to. Good Health Good Wealth are continuing to provide the music some of us need in our lives to remind us of this and remind us that we’re not alone in dealing with the obstacles and changes that are forever happening in front of us daily.
Millionaires though? We’d probably still find something to moan about, wouldn’t we?

Lovely Jubbly as someone once said.

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Words by Keith Goldhanger. More writing by Keith on Louder Than War can be found at his author’s archive. You can also find Keith on Facebook Instagram and Bluesky

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