It must be summer. Not that you can tell by the weather that curses Glasgow at this time of the year but at least there is some light at the end of the very damp tunnel to be found in the music of Junebug with their five song EP “Into The Wild” showing more imagination and musical ambition that most.
Much of the charm of these songs is founded in the casual melancholy to be found in the voice of singer Alli Martin and, whilst often conventional in her approach to a song, she still manages to present herself as different from the crowd. Of particular note is her performance of “By Your Side” – a song that drifts into being as if divorced from some concept album of the seventies – where she adds the kind of ethereal seasoning so beloved of the better folk singers. Similarly effective is “Like Clockwork” where she threatens to become a wistful version of Debbie Harry.
Of course, it’s not all about the voice. “The Mill”, for example, is a genuine old fashioned rock song with just enough of today to avoid any accusations of reverence to the riffs of the past and “Wild” shows that Junebug have more than enough confidence to take their songs right through that three minute barrier.
With a tip of the hat to the guitar solo, “Into The Wild” provides enough evidence to suggest that Junebug will be the kind of band likely to bring some of that essential sunshine into your life.