Juni Ata - “Philadelphia”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 2

Pairs Well With…Mt. Joy, Sufjan Stevens, Fleet Foxes

At its heart, Juni Ata’s music is classic acoustic pop, but the Californian newcomer adds horns, strings, and rock instrumentation to give his quiet ballads and anthems infectious life. He’s a strong songwriter out of the gate, finding little pop-rock hooks to burst his alt country leaning setting. The orchestration adds drama and intensity to Ata’s tracks, bringing nostalgia forward whether on a stirring ballad like “Fight Hard, Run Fast” or soul revue “When It Rains In LA”. His outward vocals and composition abilities are as reminiscent of Broadway musical storytelling than straight folk pop, leaning into the heart-stirring sounds that make this songs bigger than expected from note one. (Kevin McStravick)