June McDoom grew up in a Jamaican household in South Florida and brings all that – and much more – to her music. She’ll get to display that on a braoder scale with the release of her debut album Follow The Light, which is arriving on 16 October through Jagjaguwar.
Along with the announcement she has shared the first single “Without You”, saying:
“I wrote ‘Without You’ about that feeling of realizing how meaningless life can feel without the person/people you love, and how you can feel like nothing without them around. I wanted the arrangement to reflect the emotional journey of that realization. The ending celebrates the awareness and commitment to never take that person for granted, because it’s never too late to change how you’ve been.”
Given the emphasis behind the song, it’s unsurprising that it is quietly heartbreaking – and made even moreso by McDoom and her longtime partner Evan Wright’s attention to detail in the soundscape. This is a lovingly knitted folk song with ample atmospheric elements that take it to its own plain, where McDoom’s voice and visually impressive lyricism flourish. What is surprising about “Without You” is the way that it subtly flips into something utterly joyous without you even realising at first, with the second half becoming an ascendant aural voyage to the heavens, filled with gratitude for the people that give life meaning that is utterly infectious.
Watch the video for “Without You” below or find the song on streamers.
June McDoom’s debut album Follow The Light arrives on 16 October through Jagjaguwar (pre-order/save).
You can follow her on Instagram.
