Track listing: Message to Lana

Thunderous, distorted, dystopian even. "Message to Lana" is the latest single by Newcastle project Flowers For Juno, a track that serves as somewhat of a dedication to (or at least inspired by) the ex of FFJ's founder, Benjó James. The single's artwork, appropriately, is a photo James explains that is "just one I took of my ex (Djeszica Han-Mahedemi) when we were partying in Kazakhstan, and perhaps in some ways that disorienting excess is reflected in the music."

"Hey, this is Lana" opens the song--literally Lana's voice introducing herself. A voicemail greeting, perhaps? But it opens the floodgates of an onslaught of sound: a wall of synths, distorted guitar, drums reverberating unto the heavens.

The sonic landscape harkens to the more emotive days of The Cure; just not as cheery and optimistic. The less lucid scenes from The Lost Boys channeled through a London dance club amist a frigid deluge outside in the wee hours of the morning. 

Our hero, Benjó, twists and molds a dark concoction of guitars, fuzz bass synth, keys & drum programming, and mellotron throughout, with the synth evoking a haunting Ebow-like effect on guitar. "Message to Lana" also interpolates samples from Mags' song "Ugly Bitch."  Blend into this vibe a Northumbrian harp and you've sunk yourself into the mood James creates with his "Message." Shit gets weird! 

Beyond the inspiration and instrumentation, "Message to Lana" is an emotionally charged banger. On Spotify it's already garnered over 1,000 streams in its first 4 days of release. It's also available on YouTube if you prefer to avoid Spotify's political entanglements. This is also our 4th review of FFJ music, so be sure to check out the other songs we've featured on Flowers for Juno's artist page! You can also keep up with the group and their new music and goings on at either facebook.com/flowersforjuno or @flowersforjuno on Instagram.