Junip
Junip
(Mute Records)

The new, self-titled album by the Swedish band Junip is sonic artistry with sinuous indie pop brilliance. Wholesomely organic instrumentation and vocals move like the mysticism and rarity of a dusty tumbleweed in an electrified Wild West. Musicians Tobias Winterkorn, Elias Araya and singer/songwriter José González are the trio that round out the band. González has long slayed hearts and minds with his dreamy, oscillating vocals and rich acoustic guitar signatures. Notably, his revered cover of the Massive Attack single, “Teardrop,” and his cover of the The Knife’s “Heartbeats” have been featured on numerous television programs. On Junip, synthesizers feel like pillowy places of lull neatly tucked between melodic vocals, groove steady bass lines and drums. The breezy, open-minded feel of “After All Is Said And Done” is so vitalizing, it feels like indie gospel. “Suddenly” sounds like a sweet lullaby while “So Clear” erupts into a jaded jam over a sparkle of keys, gnarly layered electric guitar and a buoyant rhythm. “Your Life Your Call” is seemingly a retort against complacency while “Villain” is sonically louder, but still captures the rough and tumble radiance of the rest of the album.