ALBUM REVIEW: Blood Remembers – Juniper Youth

Doom-pop will be a new concept to many, two very contrasting genres merged together in this way will definitely grab your attention as well as be divisive for some. However, this sound has been fully embraced by its pioneers, Boston trio JUNIPER YOUTH. Taking inspiration from the likes of DEFTONES, the band dig deep into the past to create an interesting and colourful future, in turn presenting the world with an album that echoes sentiments, thoughts and reflections that we all feel through a kaleidoscopic knowledge of perspective. With an emotional openness set upon the foundations of family unity and lifelong friendships, JUNIPER YOUTH’s Blood Remembers is a tear-your-heart-out, passionate and soul staring experience.

Blood Remembers comes from a place of euphoric highs and crushing lows, it tells the story of sacrifice, love, pain, power, nostalgia, longing and triumph wrapped in a maturity only gained through experience and acquired wisdom. JUNIPER YOUTH have gone beyond the notion of a labour of love, the sheer eloquence of the emotions on display feel deeply healing. The astounding post-rock atmospheres leave significant space for deep reflection, coupled with elegant, melancholic melodies which glisten like stars in the black night sky, you’re onto something truly special.

Each section of the album feels purposeful, each fragment of crafty guitar work and pounding rhythm has a space to fill and an emotion to capture, all bound together with an infectious chemistry between the band. Shan Davé’s unique vocals and phrasing accentuate highly charged lyrics, as his melodies graciously float over the top of the increasingly progressive musical passages. Yet, despite the delicate emotional complexities, JUNIPER YOUTH also have attitude. There is a bite to this album, as if it is tackling and wrestling with something bigger than itself. The fire of ambition burns bright at the album’s core, as the band push to bring their unique sound the world.

Opening with Full Sun, it is fairly quickly that you get a sense of what this album is about. However, it is only a tantalising glimpse, and as the rest of the album progresses the rest of the story is unfurled and laid out for you. Full Sun is the most DEFTONES sounding song on the album as it utilises soft and powerful dynamics that are reminiscent of that band’s more modern songs with a catchy pop hook. From here, every song becomes anthemic its own right, as all the atmospheres wash over you like the calm seas on the beach before the chunkier riffs rise up and crash upon the rocks of your heart. Bodies carries an intensely nostalgic vibe, with a deep yearning for simpler times before the world inevitably hurts you into isolation. Despite the bleak image, it ultimately feels hopeful, and once you tear down those walls you are free. Title track Blood Remembers discusses the sacrificial decisions that you go through to survive, whereas Time Will Forget is a deeply haunting song about the ruthlessness of time’s march forward.

Here & Gone cuts particularly deeply, as it reflects on life losses and how we recount our beloved stories of fonder times. However, what really sums the album up is its closing track, Redefined. It’s one that a lot of people can relate to lyrically, as you break the shackles of your own mind and learn from your experiences to redefine your future to achieve your true potential. The deeply thought provoking song is the perfect way to close an album like Blood Remembers.

The high level anticipation and hype surrounding this debut is more than justified. A beautiful album packed full of sentiment and emotion that has the power to truly uplift and heal. JUNIPER YOUTH have given the world a fresh new sound to embrace, escape into and fall in love with, something elegantly wholesome and incredibly impassioned.

Rating: 9/10

Blood Remembers is set for release on March 25th via self-release.

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