After recently returning with their stunning comeback single 'One More Time' earlier this year, Liverpool-based outfit Juno are back at it once again on their dynamic new offering 'Everything I Need'.
Capturing more of that bold and electrifying post-punk aesthetic they are quickly earning a reputation for, 'Everything I Need' makes for an incredibly fun and lively listen. With its killer hooks, driven pace, and mesmerising vocals layered throughout, they are returning to the fold with one of their most impactful cuts to date here.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with lead singer Max Mullen to find out more about his origins and what has been inspiring him most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
My Father is very musical and always pushed for me and my sister to learn something. One of my earliest musical memories is learning Greensleeves on the classical guitar and kinda hating it. I then bumbled through piano lessons and my dad showing us bits on guitar, but I was never all in on it. It took getting fanatically into Bowie, for me to pick up the guitar on my own and that’s when I really fell in love.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
I started by listening to whatever my dad listened to. Lots of Bowie, Pink Floyd, Echo and the Bunnymen, Radiohead. I tend to get obsessed with an artist or album and listen to it until I hate it, resulting in periods of my life being forever tied to its soundtrack. In school I had a love affair with Regina Spektor (Still do a bit), I loved Jamie T’s first album ‘Panic prevention’, Went awry and had about a year of only listening to Eminem. Kate Bush, many obsessions with Bowie’s Different eras. And then later I worshipped the Stokes early stuff and a collection of the best Indie rockers.
What was the first album you remember owning?
The first physical CD I remember my dad getting for my sister and I was AM in 2013. However, I was born post physicals, straight into the world of LimeWire and music piracy. Before AM, I had a bunch of amazing albums like ‘Hunky Dory’ and Roger Waters ‘Amused to Death’ downloaded on my iPod for my endless enjoyment and repetition.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Bit of a cheat/loophole but it’s actually 3 songs which play into each other as one. They are, ‘Sweet thing’, ‘Candidate’ and ‘Sweet thing – Reprise’. The dystopian atmosphere, Bowie’s Low crooning voice soaring into a screaming anthem gives me goosebumps every time. It’s such a showcase of song writing expertise and embodies so much of what I love about music. Many drunken hours within the band have been spent discussing which Beatles track would still be a hit if we came out with it today or if one of U2’s Global hits would be as big without Bono’s vocals. However, disregarding this calculation of success I’d have loved to have written this Bowie masterpiece.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Nothing superstitious goes on for me, though I do like to have a cup of tea or coffee. If I’m writing lyrics solo, I like to know no one can hear me. If I’m holding back because I don’t want to sing a shit out of tune vocal line while looking for a melody, I don’t think anything worthwhile will come from it. I always like to have a crack at writing lyrics after a night out, usually to my future sober self’s despair at how pretentious and cringe my attempts were, but sometimes there’s a nugget that’s half decent.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Been really loving Chappaqua Wrestling’s album ‘Plus Extra’, some bangers on there. Still, in love with the Wunderhorse Album, the best rock album in ages for me. Apart from those, I have been listening to Big Thief consistently, but I have been trying to broaden my horizons with Spotify’s discover weekly and Artist radios. I can’t wait to find my next obsession that I won’t be able to believe I’ve lived so long without hearing.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
For the band at the minute, it’d be really cool to tour with Chappaqua Wrestling, I saw them years ago in London opening for The Night Café and they were great then and really love what they’re doing now. I think we’d love to open for Fontaine’s DC or Wunderhorse would be a dream, even more aspirational would be the Strokes, Arctic Monkeys or any other Indie Rock royalty.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
I love performing, always have in some capacity or another. But there is something particularly special in working with the smallest first idea and then getting to perform it alongside your best mates with the energy you pictured it having. So, I think getting to perform a song I love or am proud of especially when it clicks on stage, that’s pretty rewarding.
And what is the most frustrating part?
Sometimes writing can be really frustrating. It can be super easy and when it flows it's exciting and feels amazing but sometimes it’s like pulling teeth. I can work on something for hours really trying but in reality, it's shit and it can be pretty deflating when that happens. But on the whole it's worth it.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Writing anything, even if it's bad, is not a waste of time. My dad has always been very encouraging of me doing anything musical, especially with me writing as a kid. I wrote a lot of songs and on the whole very cringe bad songs, but I was always encouraged. Obviously, the production of ideas is hugely important, but I think equally as important is being able to evaluate ideas and telling a good idea from a bad one and I think that comes from writing a lot of bad.
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Juno's new single 'Everything I Need' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.