EP Review: Growing Up

Hailing from Otautahi, Just Another June are an indie four piece that have dazzled with their second EP, Growing Up with dual singles, Growing Up and I Need to Hear it Sometimes

Uniquely balanced, first single, Growing Up has a bit of everything, blending soft rock and indie tones with harmony. It’s a catchy little number about “expressing how challenging stepping into adulthood can be”.

It resonates well, but, at times I found the track to be a little busy and would have preferred something more stripped down, maybe acoustically. There is no denying it is still a heartfelt and beautiful song, and I can hear how much depth and love has gone into every note and lyric..

Second track up is I Need to Hear it Sometimes and feels a little more ethereal. There is a lot more of that simplistic tone, almost too delicate to be considered for a single. This is more of the ‘stripped down’ tone I wanted.

It gives a more experimental sound too but doesn’t try to be something it isn’t.  I can easily see this single as being part of a movie soundtrack of the same tonal equation. It’s not background music, and listening to the lyrics and then reading the release, I realize it is about “the depiction of the reality of living with anxiety and how consuming the fear of life can become” again, something that I think we all can resonate with on some level.

To lyrically ‘wear your heart on your sleeve’ is something most musicians are adept at and vocalist and guitarist, Luna Cubillana draws you into that world with ease without making you feel overwhelmed or getting it lost in the fray. It’s a deeply personal experience and as a whole, Just Another June should be proud of these two new releases.