Junaco - “Dive”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 3

Pairs Well With…Sunflower Bean, Madeline Kenney, Beach House

Junaco’s debut full-length Blue Room is a sweet slice of dream pop, breezily delivered with comfortable grace. Tones of indie folk, surf rock, and ambience pepper Junaco’s music, softly delivered and subtly dense given the band’s light touch. New wave influences take the lead on a song like “Dazed”, adding a bit of drive, but one that dips back and forth into airier moments when the time calls. The LA-based duo write emotional songs of love and loss, ideas complimented by the understated approach to their psych-folk foundation. The peaceful record closes with “Dive”, a track that adds synth-rock tones with echoed grace to raw guitar chords and ethereal vocals, capturing a sense of movement that further stretches their insular sound. (Kevin McStravick)