November 11th, 2026
Flowers for Juno
'Pink Noise'
Flowers for Juno come back around with a very experimental release with the aptly titled 'Pink Noise', following on from their earlier release 'Message To Lana' which you can read the review for here.
While 'Message To Lana' gave you the clear dark shoegaze, claustrophobic sound, this takes the claustrophobic element and drowns it in atmospheric ambience that you never really escape from.
There's a deliberate refusal to let you get comfortable here. No hooks, a few riffs scattered here and there, not much melody or even a rhythm, it all gets swallowed by the next wall of noise. Not an easy sell, but certainly an intriguing one.
Gone seem to be the great distant baritone vocals (bar the last track), opting more for a instrumental release with pops of vocals sprinkled with some thought.
Benjó James, the solo artist behind it all, from instruments to vocals to the production itself propels you into a new world with the first track "Juno in Furs / The Rape Of Paris".
Swelling deep noises rising and falling instantly start to flood your ears, with each layer competing for that space. It's like taking a NIN instrumental and dialing it up beyond recognition.
The relentless synth bellows and gets cut away, leading you into some chant like whispers which follows us into a warm pad soundscape. A more calm yet eerie feeling surrounds the rest of the track, with the sounds dipping in and out of existence.
Quite impressive how Benjó manages to keep all this from turning into one indistinguishable mess. There's so much happening in the mix. Yet,it can also feel..empty. On the rare listen you can pick out little details lurking underneath the more dominant sounds. Definitely one for headphones!!
Oh how I wish "Scumbag" had some vocals, reminds me of a mashup of Deftones 'Swerve City' and NINs 'Reptile' but with more...dread. Great drum pattern and full on fuzz guitar riffage on display.
Some chaotic vocals would do really well here, it's a shame as it could have elevated it to God like status. So far the highlight.
It's the closest this release gets to something you could imagine blasting out live. There's a proper heavy groove underneath all that distortion, something to actually sink your teeth into rather than simply absorb.
Have a listen to the album below ->
"Woe to Thee, Alexandria" up next, again another dread like deep bass drone sets the mood with guest vocalist Zarina Saidova giving a solid Arabian vocal over it. A very unsettling listen and one that's hard to repeat back with these ears.
There is no chorus, no verse to these songs per say, just, experimental pieces. A feeling, an atmosphere, a mood.
Seeping into your brain next is '一億玉砕' - guitar feedback locks you in and doesn't let go. Notes collide and clash, coming into focus and travelling into the distance at the same time. A piercing soundscape, again interesting but lacking in terms of repeat listens.
The guitars fade away while you listen to the infamous quote from J. Robert Oppenheimer when he was reflecting on the results of the Atom bomb test.
'Valhalla’s Edge' begins in a similar vein as the last track but lower down the octaves, vibrating long notes, quivering like a dying snake, getting lower and lower in tone and shape.
No sense of structure, just foundational noise that is quite hard to repeat.
The sequencing doesn't exactly make things easier either. Having these more abstract tracks sitting together creates a fairly punishing middle section. While I admire the commitment to the concept, I found myself wanting something to break through. Break through the relentless haze. It's missing that small melodic hook would give the ears a little breathing room.
Last track 'marisa.wav' brings us back full circle to what you expect from Flowers For Juno, that shoegaze deep guitar, hypotonic drums, baritone vocals and cutting through the mix synths.
Reminds me of The Smashing Pumpkins 'Machina' era actually with the synths high notes flowing throughout the song. Definitely feels like an album closer too so props for that.
In many ways it makes the journey worthwhile, though you hark back to previous releases and you recall just how effective Benjó can be when he mixes atmosphere with a proper song underneath it. More of this wouldn't have gone amiss.
This is Flower For Junos 'Kid A', many will appreciate it but others will shun. In summary, 'Pink Noise' sets you on a eerie journey with a path that is not easy to navigate.
