Junodream’s recent single ‘Eden Burns’ set the standard for what looks set to be a huge year ahead. The track was premiered by Jack Saunders as Radio 1’s Next Wave, with the DJ drawing parallels between them and early Radiohead, before he again supported them with an enthusiastic introduction on the Indie Show. Further airplay soon followed, including being playlisted at Radio X and support at BBC Introducing.
Growing in confidence with each release, Junodream take another strident step forward as they share their new single ‘Travel Guide’.
It’s immediately apparent that the quintet possess a rare flair for infusing their immediately compelling alt-rock with an abundance of creative sonic embellishments. Once again Ed Vyvyan’s vocals are a real strength: elegant and understated, but capable of soaring to rousing highs. Meanwhile, from the country-twang of the psychedelic guitar to the beauty of the piano, his bandmates employ intricacy and intelligence in equal measure. Lyrically, ‘Travel Guide’ toys satirically with the advertising fantasy of a holiday offering an escape from your demons.
The band commented: “‘Travel Guide’ explores the concept of holiday escapism and destructive tourism. For a short while you live a fantasy where your problems melt away. But when you travel, you discover that your expectations are unrealistic: the beaches and the resorts aren’t quite the treasure island you had imagined. It’s fundamentally a sad concept. You’re so far from home, but you still can’t escape your problems.”
‘Travel Guide’ is released alongside an official video. Watch HERE. An allegory for the travel industry, the animation depicts a dinosaur who escapes the rat race of the big city for a holiday escape. She heads to a picturesque island populated by mice, but her erratic behaviour escalates until she wreaks havoc in the island.
Junodream are five friends who formed a band at school, but reunited after university. They spent an early year together in near isolation, which somehow foreshadowed what would follow in 2020. Their name is a mash-up of two musical influences: the Juno vintage synth and the Pink Floyd b-side ‘Julia Dream’. From early favourite ‘To The Moon’ through to their previous EP, 2019’s ‘Isn’t It Lovely (To Be Alone)’, the band have amassed 5.1 million streams at Spotify alone.
The band have now rescheduled their headline tour to kick off in November – with three new added dates in Liverpool, Newcastle and Nottingham. Previous live highlights have included two sold-out London dates, hitting the Radio X Winter Showcase curated by John Kennedy, supporting The Magic Gang, Mild Orange and Pip Blom, and playing festivals such as Live At Leeds and Neverworld.
Tickets for the new rescheduled shows, listed below, are available here.
November
23 Guildford, The Boileroom
24 Liverpool, The Shipping Forecast *NEW DATE*
25 Newcastle, Think Tank Underground *NEW DATE*
30 Birmingham, Muthers
December
1 Leeds, Oporto
2 Manchester, Gullivers
3 Nottingham, Bodega *NEW DATE*
4 Bristol, Lousiana
7 London, Omeara
9 Brighton, The Prince Albert
10 Southampton, Heartbreakers