Finding a psychedelic band previously unknown to me is nothing new today, the scene seems to throw up a plentiful supply in 2026. But occasionally, as has occurred with my coming across Leicester’s The Junipers, you check them out then about three songs in the light goes on and you find yourself shouting out “this lot are the real deal!” So, for those who do not feel like reading on, the headline is that this is a great 2026 psych pop album; for everyone else here are some reasons why. ‘Oneless’ is a breezy beginning, you can feel yourself taking off and blowing through the clouds looking at the people down below, “doing what they do.” As lift offs go, it certainly encourages the listener to get on board, the floating nature of the jangly textures is far from lightweight, the voices build on top of each other with a celestial comeliness and there is just about enough of a sigh in the air to ensure avoidance of anything too flowery or whimsical. What happens next firmly locks us in; the thwack of a single drum followed by the steam engine propulsion of a pacy fuzzy guitar hook ushers ‘When She Turns’ to the front. This is psych pop with energy and bite, a little echo of the early nineties’ bagginess but essentially a groovy little nugget for this new 21st century age of psych. ‘She Makes The Sun Shine’ says it all in the title, although once again this bright burst of glorious sunshine pop is rammed in authentic detail. There is a breakdown with cascading vocals that halts you in your tracks like a stun gun and if you care to listen deeper into the mix, those electric stringed arpeggios are merely the front of house for an audio menu that features backward guitar effects, ‘Revolver’ era McCartney bass lines and the most colourful Byrdsian major-minor harmonies you could wish to hear.
I try to make a point in reviews of not flagging up obvious influences if the artist does not do them justice or simply fails to be as good as the music they are trying to emulate. However, I mentioned two mid-sixties giants just now not because The Junipers are photocopying the past, more due to their impressive re-purposing and preserving of classic sounds and to applaud them for justifiably wearing those connections on their sleeves like badges of honour. This band are potent because they are getting the basics right so above all period reference points; my enjoyment of this album boils down to the simple fact that these are incredibly good songs. Not that the studio work is failing to sprinkle some magic on the produce as well, quite the opposite. The way those keyboard chords ripple out as if we have divebombed the deepest lake on ‘Fishes’ is incredible, not to mention how a rising slide guitar sound evokes the sense of emerging once more to the surface. ‘Meadow Song’ similarly paints a picture of the tune’s situation, those chiming acoustic notes tangibly sounding like they were plucked whilst taking a walk through the long grass as the sun begins to set.
‘Swan’ keeps the action outside, each element of the tune appearing to act in response to its surroundings. The semi-discordant haziness that briefly appears is a powerful brush stroke, to these ears early seventies children’s TV performed by hand puppets appear in the mind out of nowhere, a little bit dreamy with a tiny touch of eery but that could just me my memories, still that is how music works after all. ‘Where I’m Landing’ pushes feelings of uncertainty to the fore, the lyric speaks to loneliness coupled with an easy going, fatalistic attitude to whatever fate might deliver. Here again, despite any bumpiness at the heart of the song, the soft malleable nature of the sound acts as a cushion. ‘Who Can Say?’ retains the head vibes at the table, there has been a definite shift towards the matters of the mind as we approach the close. I am thinking of bands like Beachwood Sparks here too, which again is no bad thing. Still, change does jump back one last time, as ‘In A Maze’ picks up the tempo and reminds the listener that, in some parallel universe, The Junipers are one of the top pop bands around. Then finally, this sumptuous song suite closes with the piano led melancholy of ‘Moments Of Truth.’ Plastered in mellotron sounds, it underlines what a sonic delight this little excursion has been. What can I say, I love psych pop, I love psych rock and I love great songwriting; The Junipers have delivered all of that in one kaleidoscopic treasure of an album, go out and find it today.
Danny Neill
You can get a copy of the album via this link: https://thejunipers.bandcamp.com/album/the-solid-and-the-hollow-album-2026
