Track listing: Dead Air, Physical Culture, Can't Help Falling In Love, It's Not My Fault, Have you ever seen a human heart? It looks like a fist, wrapped in blood!, Physical Culture (Palazzo's Monstrosity Coil Remix)
A couple months ago we posted a review of Flowers for Juno's lead-off single "Physical Culture" from their forthcoming release. Now that release is here! Their brand new EP entitled Be My Bloody Valentine dropped appropriately on Valentine's Day 2024. Including "Physical Culture," the record features three original tracks, a remix of "Physical Culture," a surprisingly morose cover of the Elvis Presley classic "Can't Help Falling In Love" and the aptly named intro "Dead Air."
Desire is a hungry flame / Consuming all within its gaze / It found victims willing within us / Broken trust fills endless graves / Deep buried by the pain / Love is made a mockery of by lust
The EP is available on all major streaming services, though listening on YouTube offers the group's intended seamless transitions between songs. But whether you go the YouTube route or have the songs interrupted by commercials (if you're streaming on Spotify without a subscription) it's all about the music.
Our aforementioned review of "Physical Culture" covers that track. "Dead Air" exists pretty self-explanatorily. And unless you've grown up under a rock you've heard some version of the Presley tune before...although what Flowers for Juno bring to their interpretation is rather compelling. Be it the original, UB40's chart-topping reggae version, or any number of other artists' renditions, all have in common that they're singing a saccharine-sweet love song. Not so much in this case. FFJ lays it down with a dark, gloomy, foreboding tone. Flipping a 50+ year old classic on its head shows off a bit of moxie. Props to the group for bringing to life a love song, giving it a bit of a psycho-stalker vibe.
"It's Not My Fault" gets back to Flowers for Juno's core sound--all the elements of harder rock, paired with just enough synth and vocal processing to introduce elements of New Wave. If Alice In Chains and Depeche Mode had twins, Flowers for Juno would be the alpha of the siblings.
The fifth track on the EP comes with the most epic title:
"Have you ever seen a human heart? It looks like a fist, wrapped in blood!"
Composed by Benjó James, the haunting synthstrumental repeats the heavily processed line "Loving you is easy." Atmospheric. Ethereal. Additional sound design throughout was brought in courtesy of Palazzo's Monstrosity Coil.
Closing the album, we have "Physical Culture" remixed by Palazzo's Monstrosity Coil. Definitely no dance remix here. Palazzo drops the original rocker into an ambient blender--you can define elements of the ingredients in the final product but the composition is utterly a new dish in itself.
With Be My Bloody Valentine Benjó James and Jack Wilson have put out a creatively experimental EP. It's got rockers. It's got concept. It's got a cover tune, usually included for accessibility to a broader audience. But Flowers for Juno instead injected it heavily with their own sound. And for the finale, the record closes with a couple experimental soundscapes...almost Kid A in nature. The record is certainly anything but typical. Check out it on the platform of your choosing. All links live on our Flowers for Juno artist page.