From deepest, darkest Lanarkshire comes The Just Joans with a shining example of twee pop. Not the shandy drinking, cardigan wearing variety beloved of our American cousins but a bitter sweet collection of odes to the misfits and disgruntled geeks of any large industrial town.
From wry tales of loves lost and the consequent glories of self pity(“Your Pain Is A Joke Next To Mine”) to the dubious pleasures of being an underachiever (“Wee Helen Got Married”) and the urban equivalent of a Jan and Dean car song (“Boyracer”)– “Dead Man’s Curve” relocated to chavtastic Bellshill perhaps? – there is no doubting that The Just Joans hit the mark with just the right mix of sentiment and self loathing.
Even when they hit the beauty mark, as in “State Of Undress” or “Every Heartbeat”, The Just Joans still manage to appear like appear like they are upset at being normal and that’s a kind of return to the simple and pure pop music for teenagers that you got back in the fifties and early sixties. Some people are just not prepared for teenage rebellion it would seem and will always be square pegs in a round hole.
Cute (and eminently collectible) limited edition packaging – as you would expect – from Britain’s’ cutest record company Wee Pop complete with a tiny hand drawn booklet. Available from the Wee Pop website.