{"title":"The Just Joans","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"you-might-be-smiling-now","title":"You Might Be Smiling Now...","description":"\u003cp\u003eCult Scottish miserabilists The Just Joans release their first new album in more than a decade, following the band’s signing to Fika Recordings. Formed in Glasgow in 2005, The Just Joans have evolved from a shambling two-piece to an accomplished sextet that embraces rivalry and relationship in the vocals of siblings, David and Katie Pope. Once described as ‘the missing link between The Magnetic Fields and The Proclaimers’, the band have used self-awareness and self-deprecation to continuously explore themes of angst, heartbreak and detachment in their songs. From their 2006 debut album\u003ci\u003e Last Tango in Motherwell \u003c\/i\u003ethrough a series of successful EPs, to 2012’s compilation \u003ci\u003eBuckfast Bottles In The Rain\u003c\/i\u003e, the acerbic wit in David Pope’s observational lyrics have helped make the band a firm favourite of the indie-pop scene. Their rise has seen them play a plethora of international festivals, such as Wales Goes Pop, Indiefjords, NYC Popfest, and of course the Indietracks festival, of which they have been long-standing cult favourites since their first appearance in 2008. The band are excited to release \u003ci\u003eYou Might Be Smiling Now...,\u003c\/i\u003e a self-recorded and produced collection of new songs. The release offers more of the same cynicism, but from an older if not necessarily wiser perspective as evidenced on lead single \u003ci\u003eNo Longer Young Enough\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eYou Make Me Physically Sick (Let’s Start Having Children)\u003c\/i\u003e is a jaundiced slice of toybox pop that crosses The Human League and Harold Steptoe. Complementing this shift in tone comes a more polished electronic sound on tracks \u003ci\u003eA Matter of Time\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSomeone Else That You Like More Than Me\u003c\/i\u003e while \u003ci\u003eO' Caledonia\u003c\/i\u003e sails along at a blistering pace like no Just Joans lament before it. Despite the band’s obvious maturity, \u003ci\u003eYou Might Be Smiling Now... \u003c\/i\u003estill manages to maintain all the emotional charm and whimsical melodies that led The List to view The Just Joans as ‘a lovable blend of sleepy acoustic guitars, Brian Wilson-esque harmonies and West Coast sarcasm.’ \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLP - Heavyweight Vinyl with Download.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCD - Digipack.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fika Recordings","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50497211072843,"sku":"1021258","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/35f47cad-0c03-4891-aee5-4e247777561a_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727726842"},{"product_id":"has-anybody-seen-my-boy","title":"Has Anybody Seen My Boy?","description":"\u003cp\u003eLimited edition (300) transparent blue 7” vinyl. Cult Scottish miserabilists The Just Joans have a new double A-side single, following up on the success of 2017’s album \u003ci\u003eYou Might Be Smiling Now...,\u003c\/i\u003e their first in over a decade. \u003ci\u003eHas Anybody Seen My Boy?\u003c\/i\u003e is their attempt at writing a lost 60’s girl group track...had that girl group been from Motherwell. 3 minutes of bubblegum-tragi-pop. Flip side \u003ci\u003eWho Does Susan Think She Is?\u003c\/i\u003e is a direct message to the friends who swanned off to art school and came back 3 months later with dyed hair, a Polaroid camera and a snooty attitude. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fika Recordings","offers":[{"title":"7\"","offer_id":50497763311947,"sku":"1040533","price":6.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/2483fd1f-5098-46d5-bb8f-b5ace91ea969_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727732102"},{"product_id":"the-private-memoirs-and-confessions-of-the-just-joans","title":"The Private Memoirs and Confessions of the Just Joans","description":"\u003cp\u003eAcerbic yet winsome Scottish indiepoppers The Just Joans return with the dazzlingly maudlin \u003ci\u003eThe Private Memoirs and Confessions of the Just Joans\u003c\/i\u003e, a deeply personal collection of songs that hazily recall the past and contemplate the futility of the future. A titular twist on the classic gothic horror novel The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by compatriot James Hogg, the new album is the follow-up to 2017’s \u003ci\u003eYou Might Be Smiling Now...\u003c\/i\u003e and contains the kind of melodies and mockery that led Uncut to class the band as the point at which “Stephin Merritt lies down with The Vaselines.” At the forefront remain the mischievous lyrics and heartfelt vocals of siblings David and Katie Pope, aided and abetted by Chris Elkin on lead guitar, Fraser Ford on bass guitar and Jason Sweeney on drums. Yet it is the recruitment of multi-instrumentalist Arion Xenos and guestappearance of Butcher Boy’s Alison Eales to arrange strings that have helped elevate the band’s music to new heights. Their progression is most noticeable on lead single \u003ci\u003eDear Diary, I Died Again today\u003c\/i\u003e, a painfully beautiful admission of everyday anxiety and “When Nietzsche Calls”, the triumphant cry of a spurned lover revelling in the misery of their ex to a backdrop of trumpets and violins. The juxtaposition of the fragility shown in these tracks with the menace of \u003ci\u003eWee Guys (Bobby’s Got A Punctured Lung)\u003c\/i\u003e – an observation and understanding of the casual violence that once cast a shadow over the band’s hometown – highlights The Just Joans’ ability to seamlessly flip between sensitivity and danger, and sums up why Highway Queens described them as the “perfect Glasgow kiss.” \u003ci\u003eThe Private Memoirs and Confessions of the Just Joans\u003c\/i\u003e is a veritable smorgasbord of misery, longing and unrequited love; stories of small town resentments, half-forgotten school friends, failing relationships and awkward workplace conversations. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fika Recordings","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50498679112011,"sku":"1082439","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50498679341387,"sku":"1082438","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/55760f1a-d0c7-4003-88b9-c77124f43722_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727753315"},{"product_id":"card-from-a-multipack","title":"Card from a Multipack","description":"\u003cp\u003eA special ten year anniversary Christmas present from The Just Joans, to you. The Just Joans return to their much loved Seasonal Greet EP after a decade, just as miserable and jaded, and many Christmases older. Enlisting the talents of cellist Maya Burman Roy (of Butcher Boy, and of appearances with God Help The Girl, Idlewild and Shrag), they’ve re-recorded two tracks from it with a string section for a very special festive double A side 7” single. The vinyl comes with a selection of Christmas cards (... from a multipack) painted by vocalist and renowned artist Katie Pope. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Just Joans were formed in Glasgow in 2005 by songwriter David Pope. Naming the band after Daily Record agony aunt Joan Burnie’s ‘Just Joan’ column, work immediately began on a number of lo-fi tracks dealing with love, rejection and everyday angst. As he advanced from singing sad songs in his bedroom to singing sad songs live, David recruited Chris Elkin as a guitarist. Shortly after, he would add younger sister Katie Pope as a vocalist, alongside bassist Fraser Ford – with all four remaining in the band to this day. Their presence helped to build a reputation on the indiepop scene, and, in 2007, The Just Joans joined WeePOP! Records. During their eight years with the DIY label, they released a series of handmade EPs including \u003ci\u003eHey Boy...You’re Oh So Sensitive, Love and Other Hideous Accidents\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Just Joans’ Seasonal Greet.\u003c\/i\u003e. Completing the journey from shambling two-piece to accomplished sextet, the band continue to win fans with their mischievous lyrics and tender melodies. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fika Recordings","offers":[{"title":"Black | 7\"","offer_id":50511877800267,"sku":"1107508","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/98ed7c00-f7ed-46a3-aefd-4591938dade5_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727895098"},{"product_id":"romantic-visions-of-scotland","title":"Romantic Visions of Scotland","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Just Joans' new album \u003cem\u003eRomantic Visions of Scotland\u003c\/em\u003e finds the Glasgow band in characteristically melancholic form, pairing shambling indie pop with sharp observations on romantic pratfalls and everyday dis-appointments, all delivered with sardonic Scottish wit, fronted by siblings David and Katie Pope, whose wry lyrics and heartfelt vocals remain at the heart of the band’s distinctive sound.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOriginally inspired by a grandiose exhibition title spotted on Glasgow buses in 2019 for a show at the Nation-al Museum of Scotland called Wild and Majestic: Romantic Visions of Scotland, the new album arrives six years later as a collection of semi-autobiographical snapshots from the Central Belt of Scotland. Whilst some of the details have been exaggerated for comic (or tragic) effect, the songs are based on personal experience of mundane failings, bitter regrets and missed opportunities that make up an unremarkable life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecurring themes of nostalgia for a bygone era and the fear of being left behind by lovers, friends and peers run throughout the album. Musically and lyrically, the band channels Village Green-era Kinks, with nods to The Television Personalities, The Smiths and Dolly Mixture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the past they have always recorded by themselves in a variety of bedrooms, living rooms – and the occasional toilet. For the first time they have abandoned their DIY recording practices to create what songwriter David Pope calls, “a corporate behemoth in an actual studio.” The album was recorded at Chem19 in Blan-tyre with Paul Savage, who is best known as a founding member of local legends The Delgados. He has also produced and recorded the likes of Teenage Fanclub, Arab Strap and Camera Obscura, and has captured a slightly more muscular version of the band while retaining their ramshackle charm.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe album artwork by vocalist and painter Katie Pope depicts Motherwell Train Station – an ordinary, boring place that speaks to the subject matter of the songs, but with a hint of potential escape. As David Pope ex-plains, “For me, the painting reminds me of the ending of Billy Liar in which Billy tries and fails to leave his hometown for the bright lights of London. Half the band also live in Motherwell, so it seemed appropriate.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFunded by Creative Scotland, the recording allowed the band to bring in bass and cello arrangements, adding depth and a sheen of musical proficiency to their signature sound.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbout The Just Joans - The Just Joans were formed in Glasgow in 2005 by songwriterDavid Pope. Early demos were collected together and released as a loose concept album, Last Tango in Motherwell, in 2006. Chris Elkin joined on guitar and was followed shortly after by David’s younger sister, Katie, on vocals and Fraser Ford on bass. Over the years they have released EPs and albums on WeePOP! and Fika Records and have gained a cult following as Scottish pop miserabilists.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe current line-up consists of Katie Pope (vocals), David Pope (vocals, guitar), Chris Elkin (lead guitar), Fraser Ford (bass), Arion Xenos (keyboards) and Jason Sweeney (drums).\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fika Recordings","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":56050658935115,"sku":"R1144-2750","price":23.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":56050658967883,"sku":"R1144-3197","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/JustJoans-RomanticVisionsofScotland.jpg?v=1764935404"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/the-just-joans.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}