Over the Atlantic blend influences from some of my favorite bands: there's a touch of Jesus and Mary Chain here and there and the Magnetic Fields are all over this album. However, it would be unfair (and downright wrong) to suggest that Over the Atlantic are just a nostalgia band for the late '80s and early '90s indie pop scene. While they are obviously informed by some great bands, they put their own stamp on the music.
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Musically, things are fairly straightforward. Nearly all the songs are based around lovely, classic sounding drum machine loops that suit the music perfectly. The guitars are heavily influenced by My Bloody Valentine, this observation is backed up by the fact that one of the songs on Junica is called "Kevin Shields." Surprisingly for much of its length, this song is the one that is least like My Bloody Valentine; it is more of an airy synth pop number up until the last minute or so where Over the Atlantic seem to drop their instruments and play their copy of Loveless over the drum machine. I'm joking of course, they just manage to pull off an admirable homage to that album.
The lyrics are down to earth, focusing on the important things in life like love and music and the love of music. Occasionally there is the odd oblique line which is what makes Junica more than just another indie pop album. This goes for the music too. Instead of falling back on the old reliables, Over the Atlantic use a traditional song format and augment it just a little to suit themselves. "35 Black and White" is one such song with a little twist, the duo switch between tempos quickly which creates a jarring sonic black and white effect which nicely complements the lyrics. It is almost like there is a middle eight shoved in as often as they can manage it.
Junica is a fun album, from start to finish it is example after example of the kind of music that should be filling up the radio waves. Despite being very accessible, it still probably is not safe enough to get the sort of success they deserve. Nonetheless, anyone who likes a nicely written pop song should enjoy Junica. I certainly do not regard this album as a modern classic but it is a polished piece of indie pop that I have no problems with listening to over and over again.
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