The Pop Corporation

When the world finds itself in dark times, art responds in a number of ways – one of the valuable replies to the horror of it all is the chance to escape. Lately, there’s been a number of great songs and albums that deal in dissolving your troubles away or living in pursuit of pleasure. With perfect timing, the greatest band in the world come back with a handful of daydreams, pocket symphonies and a paean to the purest forms of pop.

From the word go, The Junipers have been a salve for the soul, with consistently brilliant LPs, from the magical ‘Cut Your Key’, to the pastoral ‘Paint The Ground’, and the wonderful psychedelia of ‘Red Bouquet Fair’, and the releases between and supporting side projects. While there’s been variety, there’s always a pop perfection that runs through all of The Junipers’ music, crafting songs beautifully by hand, all shot through a Super 8 lens and a sun drenched hue that’ll make you long for summers long gone and yet to come.

In the press release, the band talk of “accidental momentum”, which honestly, could be the very energy that makes listening to the band feel like capturing lightning in a bottle – working at their own speed and revealing their music when the conditions are right. Naturally, as ever, the production on this new album is wonderful and they’ve already released two singles – the wonderful ‘She Looked Up At The Stars’ and ‘Annie Almond’, which cemented the band’s place as one of the truly great modern psychedelic pop acts.

A bonus video of the Pepperland brilliance of ‘My Imaginary Friend’ whetted the appetite for the new album even more and, sincerely, it is borderline criminal that they’re not talked about in the same breath as The Lemon Twigs, Foxygen and the rest.

The album kicks off with the charming ‘Swarthy Smith’, which has hallmarks of Shed Pop era McCartney – rustic, DIY, chugging pop with baroque flourishes a la Curt Boettcher and Sagittarius. It’s a theme that runs through the LP, with tape spools and mellotron on the woozy ‘Mary In The Rain’, ‘Monkey On My Back’ and super album closer ‘Hollow Rain’.

Amongst the popsike that we know and adore, there’s a welcome nod to ’70s glitter pop with the gently rowdy ‘While You Preside’ and the soft glam of ‘In Your Shoes’. The line from psychedelia to glam has always been there, but sections of this LP feel like a treasure map plotting the points between the two. Don’t expect to be putting your thumbs in your belt loops during this – but if you like Beatle Pop, Paisley Underground records, The Sweet’s ‘Funny Funny’, Carole King, Emmit Rhodes, Weyes Blood and all that good, well crafted stuff, you’re going to love this album.

That’s the thing with The Junipers – every album is loose and filled with air and light, but they land so fully formed at the same time. There’s not an ounce of fat on the songs, yet, never so rigidly crafted that it feels like an exercise in over-cleverness or pretentiousness – they’re hugely enjoyable and feel actively good for you. Each release thus far has been a tremendous tribute to all the good things about pop music, and this record is no different.

This may well be the album of 2024. It’s great to have them back.

The album is out digitally and on CD, September 5th 2024. A vinyl release is due later in the year. Get your copy here or tune in on your favourite streaming service.