amid-fi.7h.com EP Review
Junes Not Faking (their dedication)
Oct. 19, 2009 04:47 PM |
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Taking inspiration from Blink-182, Reliant K and other bands I listened to in the days of yore, Junes Not Faking of San Antonio, Texas also sounds similar to All Time Low's first album Put Up or Shut Up. However, this band is dedicated to more than just putting out rockalicious music; Jeff, Johnny, Daniel and O'Brien have made it a goal to spread their love for music to those less-fortunate and often overlooked. They play for the homeless downtown under the Commerce St. bridge and also provide sandwiches and clothing for them.
According to their official website, the reason behind JNF performing is that "Our Community [sic] has done so much for us, [sic] that we decided to do the most we can to give back to it."
JNF plans to release an album in April of 2010, but you can listen to five of their songs at their website right now. "The Movie Song" is reminiscent of "First Date" by Blink-182 and possibly also "Do It For Me Now" by Angels and Airwaves. Next, "Summer Eyes" pulls at my heartstrings because it reminds me of another Blink-182 song ("Down"), and also because it contains such lyrics as "And we'll fall apart; it's nothing new to us / And It's hard to say it wasn't meant for us." My personal favorite, "The Delay", sounds a lot like All Time Low's "Jasey Rae" and seems to be about insecurity and uncertainty in relationships. "Hola Amiga Banana" is a short, fun little song apparently about their love for this tropical fruit. The final song, "Something More", discusses those struggles that are imminent in all relationships.
Visit junesnotfaking.com to listen to their five-song EP and read more about Junes Not Faking.
- thePOWwow
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musicemissions.com Review
Call me a homer, then again, I don't usually favor a New York based band, so that's shot too. When it comes to Texas, I'm very proud of those small time indies in The Republic of Texas. Especially when they're as talented as June's Not Faking . Though not many Pop/Punk flavored talent comes from San Antonio, these guys seem to have a little more than your everyday radio sound.
Placing 10th in IOTY09 is their DIY effort, Not Planning to Leave...Planning to Escape. "The Movie Song" is just plain fun, as a constant moving punk and radio rock harmonics slides to the bridge and a final build up smacks with the outro. These guys might not be making anything new, but they certainly make it sound fun to see in concert. There's a slickness here that only true musicians are capable of, and I'm happily confused as to why these guys don't have serious representation.
"Hola, Amiga, Banana" is different from the rest. A multi-fold sound is created by a looping clap, acoustic melody and a lead singer with plenty of confidence. "Something More" is the track I featured in a podcast a few weeks back. Without a doubt, more familiarity with this track, as with most of their songs, brings a lot more enjoyment. I'd be interested to check out their live show as they mirror a bit of Catch 22 with their intermittent whole band vocals, and swagger.
Streaming from their MS (MySpace) player, I checked out "The Delay" and felt two completely different vibes. Poorer quality recording but most importantly, it was nearly a different style of guitar. That's where these guys can confuse you, in a tasteful manner. Dare I say, Blink 182 energy and a combining rhythm guitar from 30 Seconds To Mars creates a nice pattern. But when the end of the song nears and they actually jump ship to something a bit more hard edged, I hope to hear more of this formula from them in the future.
As long as they don't break themselves up, I see a bright future for this oddly placed Pop/Punk formation.
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