JuJu is gearing up for the release of their fifth album, ‘APOCALYPSE IS GOD’S SPOILER’, scheduled for launch on March 15th via the UK label Sister 9. Their latest offering features two exceptional guests: Chad Channing of Seattle majesties Nirvana and Luca Giovanardi from Italian psych combo Julie’s Haircut. Today they share the first single ‘Cosmic Fall’ and its video.
Sicilian multi-instrumentalist and producer Gioele Valenti is a key figure of the European underground music scene. He is one half of acclaimed Occult Psych project Lay Llamas (Rocket Recordings) and the man behind Herself, a folktronica project that involved the likes of Jonathan Donahue of Mercury Rev, John Fallon of The Steppes and Amaury Cambuzat of Faust and Ulan Bator. He was also the guitarist of Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation. Chiefly, he gave rise to the genre-defying project JuJu, championed by the likes of Goatman and Capra Informis of GOAT.
JuJu’s latest album, ironically named ‘APOCALYPSE IS GOD’S SPOILER’, appears to encapsulate a clear-eyed and disillusioned perspective on our current era, reflecting a world saturated with mass-media, terminal hedonism, and pervasive total war.
From the debut album (Sunrise Ocean Bender / Fuzz Club), where African influences held sway, to the subsequent Fuzz Club releases (Our Mother Was A Plant, Maps And Territory), where the blending of shoegaze and psychedelic elements evolved into a post-punk fusion reminiscent of Joy Division, with an increasingly pronounced noise trend (particularly in ‘La Que Sabe’), JUJU has now achieved a more mature formal balance, characterised by a pure and distinct identity.
With ‘APOCALYPSE IS GOD’S SPOILER’, JuJu once again redefines the game. This album not only signifies an evolution from their established sound but also marks a return to their roots and a more pronounced embrace of “western” imagery. If ‘La Que Sabe’ sparked an irresistible vibration, enticing sacrilegious disco rituals entwined with Shoegaze guitars, the new LP embraces that blend of western Post Punk, Shoegaze, Darkwave, Industrial, Synthpop and then anchors it to the Tribal and Occult Psych elements of JuJu’s origins. The first single, ‘Dead at 25,’ resonates with echoes of Depeche Mode and The Doors, while ‘Black And White’ explores the African rock frontier, featuring the lingering influence of Gioele’s past associates GOAT. The tribal vibes of ‘Cosmic Fall’ contribute to making JuJu’s new album a nuanced reinterpretation of both a new and old narrative, firmly establishing roots while surpassing their own established style.
JUJU is the alter-ego of Gioele Valenti, flanked by band members Vincenzo Schillaci, Andrea Chentrens.
JUJU TOUR 2024
Mar 16 Cardiff (UK) – The Moon
Mar 17 London (UK) – Salon Fuzz / Victoria Dalston
Mar 18 Sheffield (UK) – Tesla Sessions (invite only and streaming)
Mar 19 Sheffield (UK) – Dorothy Pax
Mar 20 Hull (UK) – The New Adelphi
Mar 21 Glasgow (UK) – Nice’n’Sleazy
Mar 22 Huddersfield (UK) – Northern Quarter
Mar 23 Todmorden (UK) – The Golden Lion / Dark Matters
Mar 24 Coventry (UK) – The Tin Music And Arts / Sink or Swim
Apr 13 Catania (IT) – Mono Apr 16 Sofia (BU) tba
Apr 17 Thessaloniki (GR) – Rover Bar
Apr 18 Kumanovo (MK) – Agora’
Apr 20 Budapest (H) – Riff
Apr 26 Sion (CH) – Point 11
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