Just before their full-length debut album releases in September, LA-based folk band Junaco continue to prove they’re the antidote to all your anxieties on the lead single and video, “Everyone Talking.” Since forming in 2019 as a duo between singer Shahana Jaffer and drummer Joey LaRosa, they’ve kept to dropping singles and short-length projects such as Blue Room, which came in at a slim eight tracks.
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Teaming up with producer Sam Evian, who in the past has worked with similar bands such as Blonde Redhead and Big Thief, Junaco’s newest song is among the band’s sunniest and peaceful, intimately detailing how to live in the moment.
Opening to a quaint guitar so clear in sound, you can hear fingers brushing along the strings, “Everyone Talking” soon finds Jaffer’s velvety voice coming into the picture like a warm hug. Always providing sweet serenades, she speaks openly about feeling anxious when hearing everyone add to the fodder of monotonous day-to-day living. While the subject matter might sound like a stressing if relatable struggle, the quiet atmosphere populated by a tame drum-guitar combination and distant synths calms an all too relatable reality.
The music video for the single depicts the scene Jaffer describes in more vivid and surreal detail than can be described on a less than 3-minute track. As Jaffer and LaRosa eat lavish food in a party of five, the camera peeks from the corner and slowly comes in like an uninvited guest. None of the lyrics sync up with what the five guests are chatting about, leaving only their laughing and smiling to do the talking.
Tensions eventually escalate, leaving one of the guests exceedingly jittery and suddenly turning into a rock before the rest continue eating as if nothing happened. The nonchalant attitude at face value might seem jarring, but it perfectly captures Jaffer’s talk about taking life one day at a time. Even in a heated moment, those fleeting day-to-day worries gradually amount to minutia at the end of the day.
And as the band recognizes “that the strongest thing we have is our own minds,” something they described learning when making their upcoming album, maybe more of us ought to stop worrying so much and take it slow.
Words: David Sosa
“Everyone Talking” by Junaco is out on all streaming services. For more on new music and their upcoming album, follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and their website.
