Artist: The Just Joans
Title: No Longer Young Enough
Format: 7" single on mustard yellow vinyl
Cat#: Fika061
Release date: 28th July 2017
Bandcamp | Spotify | iTunes
Named after a long-standing agony aunt from a popular Scottish newspaper, The Just Joans formed in Glasgow in 2007. Over the last ten years they have released a series of EPs on WeePOP! and have built something of a cult following among navel-gazing indie types. Their songs detail the highs and lows (mainly lows) of modern life, with a particular focus on failing relationships and missed opportunities. Musical touchstones for the band include The Magnetic Fields, The Shangri-Las, Smokey Robinson, The Kinks and Orange Juice.
Now, after a recording hiatus of several years, The Joans are back with a brand new single "No Longer Young Enough", a girl group-esque ode to that realisation when facing a Saturday night of clubbing that you'd much rather stay in, read a good book and feel fresh in the morning. The single also features original artwork by painter and singer with the band, Katie Pope.
A new album, You Might Be Smiling Now..., will follow later this year.
"Shambling indie pop in the vein of early Pastels, those home-recorded Belle & Sebastian efforts or the early Postcard singles... and it matches joyous innocence - those backing vocals, that xylophone melody - to some rather downcast lyricism. Wonderfully Scottish." Clash Music [No Longer Young Enough premiere]
"a winsome and gently hook filled slice of delicate indie pop with some lovely ‘woos’ in the background and the gentle Glaswegian accent of singer Katie Pope. It’s a gem." Overblown
"offering the perfect brand of glistening indiepop, moving back and forth between upbeat moments and more sultry swing to entice listeners. Such gems are hard to find nowadays, but rumor of a full-length in the works should keep us all looking forward to the next steps from this act." Austin Town Hall
"Any band that can make us laugh and sigh, often in the same song, is a band to keep in your playlist. Check out the title track, which offers girl-group vocals pointing out that for all of us, there is a time when Friday nights/Saturday mornings in the clubs becomes reading at home in our PJs and an early lights out." When You Motor Away
"‘No Longer Young Enough’ is four and a half minutes of indie-pop wonderfulness that is destined to be played on repeat by all who hear it. The sharp punchy intro instantly demands attention, picking the listener up before Katie Pope’s sweet vocal kicks in. With a classic girl group style singalong chorus giving the bittersweet lyrics a saccharine coating it’s a highly infectious offering that doesn’t falter from start to finish. Innocence collides with world weary self awareness and joy meets pathos as everything is neatly underpinned by a healthy dollop of humour." The Barley Boat