Album Review: Junip - Junip

Junip are a legitimate band, and have been for well over a decade. However, since the mid-noughties breakout success of guitarist and vocalist Jose Gonzalez, the group has been overshadowed by the individual. And although this self-titled second offering pushes towards a more robust and thick sound; with Gonzalez' melancholy whisper at the fore, his fingerpicking style trailing right below, Junip will be approached with a certain expectation.

The gothic undertones that pepper the sonics here are a good way to inject the record with its own identity, organ/synth man Tobias Winterkorn doing a fantastic job to fill in the space between Gonzalez and drummer Elias Araya. But even though it's dark, there's still a smile beneath it all. Line Of Fire is immediately like bumping into that buddy you haven't seen in a few years, taking right off where things were left as if time was a myth. Your Life Your Call, meanwhile, drifts on a simple message about taking responsibility for your own actions and pushing on through what life throws at you. The production of certain tracks, such as Villain and Beginnings, features slight sonic dissonance, especially from the organ. The result is a bottom end that comes out muddy in parts, which depending on your mood can annoy or intrigue. But for the most part the Swedes have captured the vibe you'd find in a little cabin in the forest: relaxed, removed, delicate.

Overall, this album is striking; however, it's not stunning. And while the band have clearly made an effort to amble down new paths, they continue to do so through the soul and sound of one man.